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Vasant Panchami is an important Indian
festival celebrated every year in the month
of Magh according to the Hindu calendar.
Celebrated on the fifth day of Magh, the day
falls somewhere in the months of February or
March according to the Gregorian calendar.
The significance of the day lies in the
worship of Goddess Saraswati, symbol of
wisdom and also the onset of spring season.
According to the popular belief, the origins of this festival lie in
Aryan period. Aryans came and settled in
India through Khyber Pass, crossing the
Saraswati River among many others. Being a
primitive civilization, most of their
development took place along the banks of
the River Saraswati. Thus, River Saraswati
began to be associated with fertility and
knowledge. It is then that the day began to
be celebrated.
According to mythology, a popular associated with this day is connected
with poet Kalidasa. After he was married off
to a beautiful princess through trickery,
the princess kicked him out of her bed as
she learned that he was foolish. Following
this, Kalidasa went to commit suicide, upon
which Saraswati emerged from the waters and
asked him to take a dip there. After taking
a dip in the holy waters, Kalidasa became
knowledgeable and began writing poetry.
Thus, Vasant Panchami is celebrated to
venerate Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of
education and learning.
In today’s times, the festival is celebrated by farmers as the
on-coming of the spring season. The day is
largely celebrated in Northern Parts of
India. Here, people offer food to the
Brahmins and organize rituals in the name of
Goddess Saraswati.
The color yellow is the predominant color associated with the festival,
the origins of which are supposed to be the
fields of mustard which can be seen in
Punjab and Haryana during this period. Kite
flying is also commonly associated with this
festival. Children as well as adults fly
kites on this day to celebrate freedom and
enjoyment.
Another tradition associated with this day is that of initiating
studies in the young. Young children often
begin learning on this day, which is
believed to be the reason why the school
sessions start in the month of March. Sweets
with a yellow hue are also distributed on
this day and people can also be seen
donating books and other literary material
to the poor.
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