Saraswati Puja- Mark the Date for 5 interesting Facts!

Call it Vasant Panchami, Saraswati Puja or Basant Panchami, the day when arrives, revives the childhood memories.

Waking up early in the morning, dressed in new clothes, arriving school early for Saraswati Pooja, hopping from one school to another to see the big idols of Maa Saraswati and collecting prasad, every moment comes alive with this festival.

Every year, the festival of Saraswati Puja is observed on the fifth day of the Hindi month Magh in bright fortnight. As per the Gregorian calendar, the day falls in between January- February month.

In English, ‘Vasant’ or ‘Basant’ stands for spring. Therefore, this celebration marks the beginning of the spring season as well.

Do you know when is Saraswati Puja 2020? For your reference, Vasant Panchami is on Wednesday, 29th January 2020.

Here, we have scoured a few interesting facts about Vasant Panchami. Let’s take a look one by one.

The Birthday of Maa Saraswati

 According to scriptures, Basant Panchami is the birthday of Goddess Saraswati. People all over India celebrate it to rejoice the birth of the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge- Maa Saraswati. They worship the Goddess in home, temples, schools, and colleges. Little children rejoice the day significantly by worshipping ‘Vidya Ki Devi’.

Various puja ceremonies are held to adulate the Goddess and seek Her blessings. Worshipping ritual is followed by sweets and prasad distribution to all attending the pooja ceremony.

The Herald of Vasantotsav or Spring Season

This festival also signifies the beginning of the spring season. The weather becomes pleasant with birds chirping, flowers blooming and Sun shining a bit brighter. While some people call it Vasantotsav, others celebrate it as Saraswati Puja.

Perfect Wedding Muhurt

Undoubtedly, the day is full of sheer auspiciousness. The day is also dedicated to the God of Love- Kamadeva. There is a popular belief behind it. It is said that on Basant Panchmi tithi, Goddess Parvati requested Kamadeva to wake up Lord Shiva from his meditation. Kamadeva shot his arrows made of flowers and bees to arouse Bhagwan Shankar. This is why the celebration is rejoiced as Vasant Panchami.

It also makes a great day for wedding celebrations. People fix their date on the Panchami tithi for tying the knot. In India, there is a large number of wedding celebrations organized this day.

Basking in Kite Flying

Sikh and Hindu community celebrates Basant Panchami as the festival of kites. Some parts of Bihar, Punjab, and Gujarat organize kite flying celebration. Kids, young and elders are seen buying colourful kites. They take pleasures in flying their patang (kite) high in the sky.

Be the Sunshine in Yellow Outfits

Do you know, the colour yellow is significant on Vasant Panchami? Spring season is symbolic of blossoming yellow mustard flowers. Maa Saraswati’s attire is also of the same shade. Hence, wearing yellow coloured outfits is popular on this auspicious day.

The people of West Bengal rejoice this day with great fanfare and gusto. They set up grand pandals and perform pooja. They call this day as Sri Panchami. On Murti Visthapan day, big and vibrant processions are held. The idols of Maa Saraswati are immersed in the Ganga River.

So folks, mark the Basant Panchami date in your calendar for 2020 and bask in the celebratory mood!