Basant Panchami

Basant Panchami

The name Basant is from Sanskrit "vasant" meaning spring and is a part of the Sikh holy scripture called SGGS

‘Aai Vasant Pale Oorant,’’ is an old saying in Dogri. It means that with an arrival of the Basant festival there is an end of winter.

Vasant (Basant) Panchami festival is just like the festivals of Deepawali or Diwali and Navratras or Navratris which are celebrated Basant Panchami festival falls on the Panchami after Amawasya in the Magh or Maghi Mahina (month) according to Bikrami era which corresponds to January or February in accordance with Christan era.

Actually the Basant Panchami festival marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of the spring season. So this festival is a celebration of change in season.

In India, Basant Panchami is celebrated in different ways. For instance, in Bengal it is celebrated by way of worshipping the Goddess Saraswati particularly by the students, writers speakers, teachers. This practice was started by Noble Prize winner Mr Rabinder Nath Tagore at Shantiniketan. The day is of special importance for initiation into the realm of knowledge. The Goddess of knowledge, Saraswati is also worshipped in Orissa and Bihar. In Rajasthan and Haryana the men and women wear yellow clothes.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir also put on yellow clothes on Basant Panchami. the elders belonging to the farming community especially of Kandi Belt of Jammu used to wear yellow turbans on their heads during Basant Panchami. It is actually symbol of yellow coloured flowers of mustuard-Brassica compestris (Sarson) and Karangal (Cassia fistula) which grew abundantly before 1947. Even the people of Kandi area used to grow sarson and toria in their kitchen gardens. The men folk of Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh also put on Turbans.

In some parts of India it is celebrated by flying kites in the sky.

The people of Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir used to prepare yellow coloured sweet rice and/or pudding during early 1960 in their houses on Basant Panchami festival. But this tradition is not so common these days. In the schools, colleges, and other institutions yellow coloured Laddus used to be distributed among the students.