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Yellow is the colour of joy. Yellow is the colour of vibrancy and therefore Yellow denotes the fervour of Vasant Panchami – the festival which celebrates the lively and vibrant spirit of Spring. As the name signifies, Vasant means Spring and Panchami mean Fifth, therefore Vasant Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day of the Spring season. Incidentally, Vasant Panchami 2023 was celebrated on 26th January, the 74th Republic Day of India. Vasant Panchami is also celebrated as Saraswati Puja among Hindus because as per Hindu scriptures, Saraswati Mata, the goddess of knowledge, learning, music and art appeared seated on a white lotus with a book, a Veena and a garland in her hands on this day.
The festival holds a lot of significance among students as Saraswati Mata is the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Many schools and colleges organize special events on this day. Vasant Panchami is considered auspicious for observing ‘Vidya Arambham’ or ‘Akshar Abhyasam’, a tradition to initiate education or learning for children. Besides education, Vasant Panchami is also an ideal occasion to initiate or do any good work. It is believed worshipping goddess Saraswati on this day also brings the blessings of the goddess. Lakshmi and goddess Kali. Therefore Vasant Panchami is highly revered for its social, religious and seasonal significance. On the occasion of Vasant Panchami, people dress up in bright yellow clothes to celebrate the vivacity and liveliness of Spring. The festival is celebrated throughout the country with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm. Idols of the goddess Saraswati adorned beautifully are worshipped and yellow flowers are offered on the feet of the goddess. Even the special blog prepared for the deity and distributed amongst the devotees as Prasad is flavoured with the sweet fragrance of saffron strands which also gives ‘Kesar Halwa’ its signature yellow colour. The popular custom of kite flying in Punjab and Haryana on Vasant Panchami makes the occasion even more lively.
