Monday, February 3, 2014

Saraswati Puja with Basant Panchami



I have vague memories in childhood celebrating Saraswati Puja in my aunt's school. I remember I went to her school, we worshiped the slate and put haldi on it, offered flowers and got some sweets to eat. This obviously must be way before I started formal school as we visited nani’s place only in school holidays.
There was zero association with it in growing years as I grew up in convent school. I have no memories of any celebration of it.
Post my marriage however, I started celebrating Saraswati Puja with all Bengali fervour. So it was a festive time of eating luchis and labra tarkari and all the bong sweets. As years passed by I made efforts to know about Saraswati Puja. So trying to put some information here It is the second important festival that come right after Makar Sankanti and also marks the arrival of spring and is celebrated largely in India. In Eastern side  and some parts of Maharashtra it is more significantly celebrated as Saraswati Puja. I am not aware how it is celebrated in other parts of India. Maa Saraswati is associated with learning, wisdom, knowledge and people worship Maa Saraswati to attain enlightenment through knowledge.

for all novices like me - Saraswati Puja is celebrated on Vasant Panchami. It
The color yellow plays an important role in Vasant Panchami as it is related to the bloom of mustard flowers in the Northern India and is also considered auspicious. People wear yellow colored garments, decorate doors with yellow marigold flowers. Make rangoli’s outside their doors and also make sweets like saffron rice. Another ritual that is  followed also about flying kites especially in Northern India. The whole sky is full of kites on that day.
However in modern times most of these celebrations are getting lost and also the significance of it too is losing his relevance.

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