Goddess Saraswati retains one of the most important places in the Hindu calendar which is also most commonly known as Basant Panchami. The month of Magh in the Hindu calendar sees an important festival of Basant Panchami dedicated to the goddess Saraswati who is worshipped as the deity who fosters knowledge and art. Denoting serenity, peace and calmness, always seating on a white lotus or riding her white swan, Goddess Saraswati in her pure white silk saree is the epitome of compassion. While she holds her veena in one hand, her other hand is shown holding a book. While the white lotus signifies true knowledge, the swan which is known mythologically for separating water from milk, symbolises a wise human mind which can differentiate between good and bad things.
Like all festival is India, Basant Panchami too, is celebrated with much enthusiasm and gusto. With the yellow mustard flowers blooming in the fields, yellow is a very much of a welcome colour in spring. Spring with its lush greenery welcomes Basant Panchami, an important festival which according to the Hindu calendar is celebrated on the fifth day of the spring season. The hauntingly cold winds are replaced by the gentle and cool breezes and the air itself is warm with rejuvenation. Ladies across India are seen in their yellow avatar on the day of Basant Panchami. Bidding farewell to the winter blues, Basant Panchami welcomes the spring in the bright and warm colours of yellow sarees.
The colour yellow is a dominant colour and devotees prefer to wear yellow garments on the day of Basant Panchami. Yellow is considered to be symbolise spiritual knowledge and hence to increase the significance of the yellow colour on Basant Panchami. It symbolizes happiness, peace, meditation, competence and mental development. It is the color of spring and activates the mind. Lord Vishnu’s dress is yellow symbolizing his representation of knowledge. Lord Krishna and Ganesha also wear yellow dresses. Yellow clothes are worn and yellow food is eaten at spring festivals. Single girls wear yellow to attract a mate and keep evil spirits away.
On this day people even distribute and eat yellow sweets- yellow Boondi ladoos, kesar halwa and yellow sweet rice are prepared as a common offering to the Goddess Saraswati. It is believed that the colour yellow has the same qualities as that of the sun, the warm colour yellow represents optimism and also light. Wearing the colour yellow helps in rejuvenating and balancing the mind and also help wipe out emotions of repression. Also, associated with intelligence, most of the times the colour yellow helps cheer people up and make them brighter.
Basant Panchami was celebrated in the Northern and Eastern part of India with satiety and religious fervour with yellow colour being predominant during the celebrations. In many institutions, after Saraswati Pooja, yellow kesar halwa or sweet rice was distributed as ‘prasadam’.
