![Saraswati f](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Saraswati_f._Strassenpuja.JPG)
Vasanta ( sa, वसन्त, lit=Spring, translit=Vasantā), also referred to as Basant, refers to the
Indian spring.
One of the main festivals of the Vasanta season is celebrated on ''
Vasanta Panchami'' ( sa, वसन्त पञ्चमी), which in Indian society is a cultural and religious festival, celebrated annually on the first day of spring, the fifth day (Panchami) of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
month ''
Magha'' (January–February).
Origin
In
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
''Vasanta'' means ''spring''. Panchami is the fifth day of ''Shukla Paksha'', the fortnight of the waxing moon in the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
month of Magha, (January – February).
Vasanta Panchami, which marks the end of the winter and heralds in spring, is dedicated to goddess
Saraswati
Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati.
The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
. She is a goddess of water and of a river bearing her name. Her water originates in the Himalayas, flows southeast and meets the Ganges at Prayag near its confluence with the Yamuna (Triveni). Saraswati is also a goddess of speech and learning who blesses the world with ''vach'' (words), hymns, Sanskrit and the wealth of knowledge. It is auspicious for children to begin school and learn their first word on this day. In the ancient Indian texts, the ''
Vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
'', the prayer for Sarasvati depicts her as a pristine lady in a white dress embellished with white flowers and white pearls. She sits on a white lotus blooming in a wide stretch of water (''neluhini''). She holds a ''
veena
The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps ...
'', a string instrument similar to a sitar. No animal is sacrificed and Indians have a vegetarian meal. Saraswati's prayer concludes,
:"Oh, Mother Sarasvati, remove the darkness (ignorance) of my mind and bless me with the eternal knowledge."
India
![Kite shop in Lucknow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Kite_shop_in_Lucknow.jpg)
In India, Vasanta is not a
national holiday. However, it is celebrated in North and Eastern India. Students participate in the decoration and preparation of their place of worship. A few weeks before the celebration, schools become active in organizing various annual competitions of music, debate, sports and other activities. Prizes are distributed on the day of
Vasanta Panchami. Many schools organize cultural activities in the evening of the Saraswati Puja day when parents and other community members attend the functions to encourage the children.
Hindu festival
On Vasanta Pachami day, everyone rises early to bathe, dress in yellow clothes, adorn their forehead with the yellow of
turmeric
Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...
(''
tilak
In Dharmic culture, the ''tilaka'' ( sa, तिलक) () is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna chakra, or sometimes another part of the body such as the neck, hand, chest or arm. ''Tilaka'' may be worn daily or for ...
''), and worship the Sun God,
Mother Ganga, and the earth. Books, articles, musical instruments, tools for art such as earthen inkpots and bamboo quills, are placed in front of the goddess to receive her blessings. The ink is made from unboiled milk water, red colour powder and silver glitter called ''avro''. Although it is auspicious for children to learn their first word on this day of celebration, everyone abstains from their usual reading and writing in deference to the goddess.
The colour yellow represents good fortune, spirituality, the ripening of the spring crops and the recent harvest. Food is coloured with
saffron
Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent in ...
. The goddess Saraswati is dressed in yellow. In some traditional homes, sweetmeats of yellowish hues, such as kesar
halva are offered to relatives and friends. Yellow flowers are used in abundance to decorate the places of worship. The yellow flowers of the mustard crop covers the field in such a way that it seems as if gold is spread over the land, glittering in the rays of the sun.
Sufi festival
The
Sufis
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
introduced the festival to the Muslim community in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. By the
Mughal period, Basant was a popular festival at major Sufi shrines. There are, for example, historical records of Nizam Auliya ki Basant, Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki ki Basant, Khusrau ki Basant; festivals arranged around the shrines of these various Sufi saints.
Amir Khusro
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian culture, Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural his ...
(1253–1325) and
Nizamuddin Auliya
Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (sometimes spelled Awliya; 1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi () was an Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the India ...
celebrated the festival with songs that used the word ''basant'' (festival). Khusrau, a Sufi-poet of the thirteenth century, composed verses about Vasanta:
Aaj basant manaalay, suhaagan,
Aaj basant manaalay
Anjan manjan kar piya mori, lambay neher lagaalay
Tu kya sovay neend ki maasi,
So jaagay teray bhaag, suhaagun,
Aaj basant manaalay.
Oonchi naar kay oonchay chitvan,
Ayso diyo hai banaaye
Shah Amir tuhay dekhan ko,
nainon say naina milaaye,
Suhaagun, aaj basant manaalay.
Celebrate basant today,
O bride, Celebrate Basant today
Apply
kajal
Kohl ( ar, كُحْل, kuḥl), kajal or kajol is an ancient eye cosmetic, traditionally made by grinding stibnite (Sb2S3) for use similar to that of charcoal in mascara. It is widely used in the Middle East, Caucasus and North Africa, South A ...
to your eyes, and decorate your long hair
Oh why are you the servant of sleep?
Even your fate is wide awake,
Celebrate Basant today,
O high lady with high looks,
That is how you were made,
When the king looks at you, your eyes meet his eyes,
O Bride, Celebrate Basant today.''
Bangladesh
![Bangladeshi girls taking Selfie at Pohela Falgun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Bangladeshi_girls_taking_Selfie_at_Pohela_Falgun.jpg)
The first day of
Spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
(Boshonto) of Bengali month
Falgun
Falgun or Phalgun (; ne, फाल्गुण) or Phagun ( as, ফাগুন) is the eleventh month of the year in the Bengali calendar, the Assamese calendar, and the Nepali calendar. In the revision of the Bengali calendar used in Banglades ...
, of the
Bengali calendar
The Bengali Calendar or Bangla Calendar ( bn, বঙ্গাব্দ , , Baṅgābda), colloquially ( bn, বাংলা সন, Baṅgla Śon), is a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. A revised version of th ...
, celebrated in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
with processions, fairs and family time. In
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
, Pahela stands for 'first' and 'Falgun' is eleventh month of the
Bengali calendar
The Bengali Calendar or Bangla Calendar ( bn, বঙ্গাব্দ , , Baṅgābda), colloquially ( bn, বাংলা সন, Baṅgla Śon), is a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. A revised version of th ...
. This day is marked with colourful celebration and traditionally, women wear yellow saris to celebrate this day. This celebration is also as ''Boshonto Utshob'' ( bn, বসন্ত উৎসব ; ''Spring Festival'').
Pakistan
Basant celebrations in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
are limited. Instead, the ''Jashn-e-baharaan'' (
) spring festival is celebrated for one month. Basant does continue in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, however, the festival and the term "Basant" is associated with the annual kite flying festival rather than the historical Spring festival itself. Typically kite manufacturers announce one Sunday either in February or March as the Basant day, which sees record numbers of kites being flown across the city.
Besant mela, Lahore
Various fairs are held throughout the region. One such fair was started by Kalu Ram dedicated to the memory of
Haqiqat Rai
Haqiqat Rai Bakhmal Puri (died 1734; pa, हक़ीक़त राय बाख्मल पुरी , ਹਕ਼ੀਕ਼ਤ ਰਾਯ ਬਾਖਮਲ ਪੂਰੀ , ) was an 18th-century martyr from Sialkot, who was executed in Lahore dur ...
. Maharaja Ranjit Singh held many fairs and introduced kite flying to such fairs which he also held at
Sufi shrines.
Controversy
Basant is synonymous in Pakistan with a kite flying celebration rather than the seasonal festival association of neighbouring India. Controversy about the celebration of Basant in Pakistan is due to concerns about its safety. Safety concerns include the use of metal or glass coated kite strings (a slurry of fine glass shards which allowed one flyer to cut another's kite loose), power breakdowns due to damage from kites, overcrowding and the use of firearms. In small villages, disadvantaged children were trying to pull down kites. In 2005, kite flying was banned in Pakistan. In 2009, nine people in Pakistan died in kite flying related incidents.
Seasonal festival
Punjab region
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
In the
Punjab region
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, the Vasanta Pachami is known as the ''Basant Panchami''. In the towns and villages of North India, Vasanta Pachami is celebrated as the secular
Basant Festival of kites by all communities as a seasonal festival. Fields of mustard present a colourful sight all over rural Punjab. The phrase ''Ayi Basant Pala Udant'', meaning, "with the onset of spring, winter bids adieu" is used.
"Punjab fairs."
Web India 123.["Basant muse colours itself in diverse hues."](_blank)
''The Times of India'' 20 January 2010.
See also
* Culture of India
Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term al ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
"Spring festival of South Asia."
C C India.
Chapati Mystery website
"Basant 2007, Lahore."
Wired.com website.
Festivals in India
Kite festivals
Culture in Lahore
Spring (season)
Hindi words and phrases
Sports festivals in India
Hindu festivals
February observances
January observances