Basant Panchami 2024 – Celebrate The Arrival Of Spring With Joy
India is a land of festivals. The enthusiasm with which each festival is celebrated here cannot be matched with anything else. Hence, it is obvious to miss the colors of your traditions, customs, and festivals if you are living away from your motherland. But, we got you! To bridge this gap, here’s our guide to help you celebrate the festival of Basant Panchmi 2024 in Indian style!
When Is Basant Panchami In 2024? | Basant Panchami 2024 Date & Timings
Date: In USA, Basant Panchmi 2024 will begin on 13 February from 03:11 AM and will last up to 14 February till 12:39 AM.
Time: The Basant Panchami Muhurat will start at 06:49 AM (13 February 2024) to 12:05 PM (13 February 2024).
Why Do We Celebrate Basant Panchami?
Basant Panchami, also called Vasant Panchami or Shri Panchmi is celebrated all over India for various reasons. While some regard Basant Panchami as the birthday of Goddess Saraswati – the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, and speech, others celebrate it as the beginning of the warm spring season, bringing relief from the bitter cold. Along with Goddess Saraswati, Surya Devta is also worshipped as a symbol of wisdom and spiritual light. Some also worship the god of love – Kamadeva.
Sikhs celebrate it as the beginning of the spring season. This is the time when the mustard crop’s yellow flowers bloom. Yellow is considered to be symbolic of knowledge, warmth, light, energy, and peace. Hence, wearing yellow is a very important part of the celebrations.
How To Celebrate Basant Panchami? | Basant Panchami Rituals
If you are living in a foreign land, completely disconnected, here are some tips or ways for you to celebrate Basant Panchami 2024 with joy and devotion.
1. Rise Early
- The period between 3:30 AM to 5:30 AM is known as “Brahma Muhurata”. A Sanskrit word for “Time of Brahma”, this period before sunrise is very divine and sacred. If possible, one should make it a habit to wake up every day in the Brahma Muhurata.
- Waking up in Brahma Muhurata on the day of Basant Panchami is considered very auspicious. Hence, wake up early, take a bath, and then dress in yellow before you sit for puja.
2. Early Morning Puja
- After freshening up, start your day with a puja of Maa Saraswati. Place her idol or image in the northeast corner of your house before you start worshipping her.
- You can even chant mantras (51 or 108 times) to get fruitful results. Some of them are given below –
- Om Shree Saraswatyai Namaha!
- Om Aim Hreem Shreem Vagdevyei Saraswatyai Namaha!
- Symbolic offerings like turmeric, sandalwood, marigold flowers, and sweets, preferably in yellow color can also be made.
3. Things To Avoid On Basant Panchmi
Avoid consuming non-vegetarian like meat, fish, eggs, and drinks like wine and alcohol along with onion and garlic on this auspicious day.
4. Yellow Food
- Yellow color is the highlight of the day.
- You can either check out YouTube for online recipes especially cooked on Basant Panchami or you can simply cook pulao (rice) the way it’s done and add a pinch of haldi (turmeric) to it. You will be amazed to see the beautiful yellow color it has once cooked completely. Keep in mind to not put any non-vegetarian food items like chicken or even onion and garlic in the meal.
- You can visit Indian restaurants to have that flavor of Indian spices. If you are an Indian American, check out our list of Indian restaurants in USA worth giving a shot at!
5. Seek Blessings
- Visiting a temple or Gurudwara on this very day is considered auspicious.
- You can pay a visit to the Shri Saraswati Devi Mandir and seek blessings. Check out our guide on Hindu temples in USA & plan our visit.
6. Donate
Goddess Saraswati is considered the goddess of knowledge and education. You can enlighten your and others’ lives by donating things like books, notebooks, stationery items, and other things related to art and literature. You can also plan your travel to India to celebrate Basant Panchami and donate things to people in need. Book your flight to India now with the below-mentioned list of popular routes –
Routes – Like Chicago to Delhi Flights, New York to Mumbai Flights, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why Basant Panchami is celebrated in Punjab?
A: In Punjab, Basant Panchami is celebrated to mark the beginning of the spring season and the end of the cold winter season. It depicts new beginnings, serenity, and calmness.
Q. How is Basant Panchami celebrated in India?
A: To mark the festival of Basant Panchami, Indians seek blessing from goddess Saraswati. They fly kites, cook yellow-colored meals like dhokla, rice, and jaggery kheer, and even dress in yellow attire.
Q. What is the meaning of Basant Panchami?
A: The word “Basant” means spring and the word “Panchmi” refers to the fifth day of the lunar month of the Hindu Calendar. Hence, this day marks the beginning of spring, symbolic of new journeys and warmth, and the end of the winter season.
That’s almost everything you need to know about celebrating Basant Panchami.
If you wish to stay connected with India while not being here, do check out pieces on IndianVibes, a sister portal to MyTicketsToIndia.
Missing India a little too much? Don’t worry we got you! MyTicketsToIndia has exciting offers with huge discounts on flights from USA to India (and back) to help you celebrate the festivals easily and conveniently with your loved ones.
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Happy Basant Panchami!
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