On 29th January 2020, India was covered in a shimmer of the colour yellow, as families gathered to celebrate Basant Panchami.
Traditionally, it marks the beginning of the arrival spring season and falls on the fifth day of the Hindu month of Maagh every year.
The welcoming of spring is celebrated differently in every part of India, and in the north it is celebrated as Basant Panchami. It is also the start of preparation for Holi, which falls exactly 40 days later. Mainly celebrated by Hindus, often Sikhs also take part in it.
HISTORY OF BASANT PANCHAMI
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Saraswati was born on this auspicious day.
She symbolizes knowledge, art, and wisdom. It is also said that this is the day when people start to give first lesson on education to their kids- a custom called Vidyarambam or Aksharabhyasam.
This day is considered auspicious for children to begin their education, and write their first words with their own hands, or even create music.
The seasonal significance of Basant Panchami lies in the name itself. ‘Basant’, meaning spring, and ‘Panchami’, meaning ‘fifth day’.
A legend also says that it is on this day that Lord Brahma created the universe, while another one says that this was the day when Shabari offered Lord Rama her half-eaten “Ber” fruits. It is also said that Lord Krishna granted a boon to Goddess Saraswati of being worshipped on the day of Basant Panchami.
It celebrates the beginning of life and ripening of mustard crop in fields, and also the arrival of spring.
HOW IS IT CELEBRATED
The colour yellow holds major significance on this day. It is so because yellow is the favourite colour of Goddess Saraswati, and because it highlights the beauty of the season that is coming ahead.
Worshippers dress themselves in yellow coloured clothes and decorate their homes with yellow flowers. Wide fields of yellow mustard often symbolize what this festival stands for- brightness, life and happiness.
People prepare and distribute foods that have the colour yellow- Khichdi (a mixture of lentils and rice) , Rajbhog(An Indian Sweet), Meethe chawal( Sweetened Rice), Kesar Halwa( Sweet made with Saffron), Boondi Laddo, etc.
Kite flying is also associated with this day. Rituals include worshipping Goddess Saraswati and Lord Ganesha in every Hindu household. All decorations for this day include the colour yellow.
BASANT PANCHAMI AND EDUCATION
For young kids, this day is significant because they start their educational journey from this day onwards. They are encouraged to write their first word with the help of ‘khadiya’, by their mother, or any other elder of the family.
Parents keep their kids’ notebooks, pencils, pens, musical instruments and other things related to education or art near the idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati to invoke their blessings.
Goddess Saraswati is worshipped so that the light of wisdom falls on us and makes us able enough to drive away the darkness of ignorance. Schools and colleges organise special programmes on this day and hold pujas to seek blessings from the Goddess of Supreme Knowledge- Saraswati so that the students may excel in their fields of study.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COLOUR YELLOW
The colour yellow is predominant on this day, because it is associated with the wide fields of mustard which can be seen maturing around this time in Punjab and Haryana.
Yellow is often symbolic to vibrance, liveliness and wisdom. In fact, according to Hindu mythology, Lord Dattatreya, Lord Dakshinamurti and Brihaspati are all portrayed wearing yellow, and all of them are associated with imparting wisdom.
The festival marks the beginning of spring, and no other colour signifies the brilliance of spring better than yellow and its shades.
Another reason why yellow is of prime importance is because the bright yellow colour stands for prosperity and positivity. It is said that the rays of the sun falling on us teach us to be vibrant like the sun.
We hope that this Basant Panchami brings hope and happiness to all our readers. May Goddess Saraswati bless our homes with her divine light and grandeur!
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