Happy Basant Panchami

Basant Panchami is one of the most popular spring festivals of India, celebrated across different parts of country with fun and fervour. The festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Magh (between the months of January and February), marks the end of winter season and welcomes the arrival of spring season. This year, the festival of Basant Panchami will be celebrated on 16th February.

The festival of Basant Panchami is associated with yellow colour, a colour of spirituality. The colour holds a special meaning for this celebration, as it signifies bright yellow sunshine, brilliance of nature and the vibrancy of life. During this season, the fields in the countryside, especially the rural areas of Punjab, are brightened with yellow colour of mustard crop, which adds to the spirit of the festival. As a part of the traditional celebrations, people wear yellow coloured clothes, cook kesar halwa or sweet rice with saffron and offer yellow flowers to the God.

Basant Panchami is also celebrated as the birthday of Goddess Saraswati, who symbolises knowledge, wisdom, purity and truth. Worshipping Goddess Saraswati on this day is considered very auspicious, especially to begin a child’s education. On this day, students pray to the Goddess of Knowledge-Goddess Saraswati and place their pens, pencils and notebooks at her feet to be blessed by her before they start using the stationery items. Basant Panchami is observed as a holiday in schools, colleges and government offices.