Vasanta Panchami
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Vasanta / Basant Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day of the bright half of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Magha,which typically falls in late January or February.
The festival is celebrated by people in the Indian subcontinent in various ways depending on the region.
Vasanta means Spring whereas the festival occurs in Sisira (Winter & Fall) ,Why?
Vasanta Panchami is also called Madana Panchami there is a mythological story behind it.
Madana Panchami
Indra assigns Kamadeva to break Shiva's meditation to create offspring of Shiva and Parvati , because only Shiva's son can defeat Tarakasura.
Kamadeva (Madana) creates an untimely spring (akāla-vasanta) and awakens Shiva with a flower arrow. Furious Shiva, opens his third eye and Madana instantaneously is turned into ash.
Rati wife of Kama deva performs meditative asceticism for forty days, upon which Shiva forgives out of compassion and restores the god of love in disembodied form.This return of the god of love, is celebrated on the 40th day after Vasant Panchami festival as Holi.
Saraswati Jayanthi
The Vasanta Panchami festival is considered as the incarnation day of Saraswati (godess of knowledge).
Worship of Goddess Saraswati, cultural events , ceremony of children writing first letter "OM" to start education are organised.
In South India, the same day is called Sri Panchami where "Sri" refers to her as another aspect of the one goddess Devi.
Traditional practice of wearing and consuming food of white color representation of Saraswati and knowledge in South india and Yellow colour similar to bloomed mustard seeds of the season in Rest of India is observed.
On the island of Bali and the Hindus of Indonesia, it is known as "Hari Raya Saraswati" (great day of Saraswati). It also marks the beginning of the 210-day long Balinese Pawukon calendar.
Religious Adoption
The festival of Basant Panchami is also celebrated in Pakistan Punjab Region kite flying is popular sport event.
The festival is also observed by Sikhs ,Jains, Sufi Muslim (Nizamuddin dargah)
with historical traditions.
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