Basant Panchami 2021: Saraswati Puja date and time, significance and how to celebrate it

Many people pray to and dedicate the festival of Basant Panchami to Goddess Saraswati who symbolises knowledge, music and arts in Hinduism. Basant Panchami also marks the beginning of the preparation of another festival - Holi which falls 40 days later.

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Basant Panchami 2021: This year, Basant Panchami will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 16. The festival, also known as Saraswati Puja, marks the arrival of the spring season in India. It’s observed every year on the fifth day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Magha, which usually falls in late Jan or Feb. Many people pray to and dedicate the festival to Goddess Saraswati who symbolises knowledge, music and arts in Hinduism. Basant Panchami also marks the beginning of the preparation of another festival - Holi which falls 40 days later.

Significance of Goddess Saraswati

It is believed that goddess Saraswati was born on Basant Panchami. Since goddess Saraswati symbolises knowledge, devotees celebrate this day by teaching their children to write their first alphabets or words and some even try to create music together. Many educational institutes such as schools and libraries also arrange prayers to honour the goddess and seek her blessings. As a preparatory ritual, food is placed in Saraswati’s temples so that the goddess can feast on it the morning of the festival and Khichdi bhog and jaggery are usually handed out to worshippers as prasad.

Important colours on Basant Panchami

Goddess Saraswati is usually dressed in a white saree which is why white is an important colour during the festival. People also dress goddess Saraswati in yellow as they associate it with being her favourite colour. Yellow is the dominant colour of the festival as people dress in yellow and prepare yellow-coloured snacks and sweets. 

Auspicious timings of Basant Panchami

Panchami Tithi beginning: February 16, 2021 in the morning from 3:36 am
Panchami Tithi ending: 17 February 2021 at 05:46 pm
Auspicious time for Saraswati Puja: 06:59 am to 12:35 pm on February 16, 2021