Winter is here and almost gone!! Yes…the advent of spring has been announced with Basant Panchami. The 5th day of Magha month, the penultimate month towards the end of the Hindu calendar year, is celebrated as Saraswati Puja or Basant Panchami. Day long puja and invocation are held to commemorate the day. Goddess Saraswati who is worshipped for knowledge, education, art and music dominates the day. The colour of the day being yellow which signifies spring, children and adults alike, gaily dressed in the designated shade roam around soaking in the festive fervor. Yellow also signifies ripening of the fruits and crops in the coming season.
The weather suddenly turns balmy and pleasant from a chilly winter air – a welcome change for people to slightly alter their wardrobe- discard the heavy woollens for light thermals.
Goddess Saraswati who has her share of invocation on this day only, has been depicted with four hands which represent mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She rides the swan who is known to separate water from milk -which signifies that one should possess clear knowledge to discriminate between good and evil.
Saraswati Puja is a traditional festival of Bengalis marking the onset of spring and to bless the young ones before their annual examinations. Tiny tots are initiated to the life of education with a special puja called “Haate Khori”. The ritual marks the tots being guided to write letters in Bangla on a slate with a chalk with the priest chanting mantras alongside. Books are kept at the feet of the Goddess in the hope that she would bless the books and the knowledge would pass on to the children!
Afternoons mark a collective lunch of “Bhog” or prasad of Maa Saraswati distributed to all who throng the Puja Pandals. Evenings mark the children performing various art forms to please the goddess and to add on the fun and entertainment quotient. This festival nears the end of the Bengali Puja Calendar.
Watch this space for more on Spring and Surajkund Crafts Mela!
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