India welcomes Spring with Saraswati Puja

Bangalore, Feb 8: India, on Tuesday Feb 8 is celebrating Basant Panchami or more popularly known as Saraswati Puja. Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of knowledge, music and art is worshipped on this day which is also considered as the first day of Spring.

Basant Panchami in the northern states of India, arrived with a myriad range of weather conditions. Some places that had until now been reeling under extreme winter received scant rainfalls while other saw a warmer day.

Educational institutions in some states have observed a holiday while some others especially in tier 2 cities and rural areas are celebrating the occasion with great fervour.

Celebrated on the fifth day of the Hindu Calendar, the occasion is considered to be a very pious day to start a child's education. It is also on this day that ancestors are worshipped through a ritual called Pitr-tarpan.

It is a common tradition in the eastern states of India, where no one is supposed to read, write or pursue any act of learning on this day. In the northern parts of India, people organise kite festivals to celebrate the approach of Spring.

On this day, as a mark of reverence people prefer to wear yellow. The goddess is draped in yellow saree and yellow sweets are distributed to commemorate the occasion.

OneIndia News