31 Jan - it's a date of the popular Hindu festival - Vasant Panchami dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. Basant or Vasant means spring and Panchami is the fifth day after Amavasi in Magh month when it is celebrated Saraswathi Pooja is performed in North and Eastern parts of India on the day. The colourful celebrations include religious services, music, singing and dancing.
The event also marks the start of spring and yellow is a dominant colour worn by many of the participants, as it symbolises both spirituality and the colour of the ripening crops. Great prominence is given to yellow color on Basant Panchami as it signifies the ripening of fruits and crops. The mustard fields in North India blooms during this season giving a yellow coat to nature.
To welcome the pristine nature after a harsh winter, deities in temples and houses are decorated with yellow colored clothes. Similarly, yellow colored food, sweets and fruits are distributed to friends, neighbors and relatives. Yellow sweet rice is cooked and distributed on the day.
On this day, prayers are offered to Goddess Saraswathi (Goddess of Knowledge), Lord Surya (Sun God), Mother Ganga (Ganges) and Bhu Devi (Mother Earth). The worship of elements in nature is acknowledging the various forms of nature, which sustains human beings, plants and animals.
