Global yet Local <\\/strong><\\/h3>\\n \ A world without Devi Saraswati would be one shrouded in ignorance, no wonder than that through history, Basant Panchami was an eagerly awaited milestone. And it was not just the sweep of the Indian subcontinent,<\\/p>\\n \"\" Image courtesy of MetroBali<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n celebrations extended all the way to Bali and Indonesia<\\/a>, where Hindus still celebrate the day as \\u201cHari Raya Saraswati\\u201d. Quite befittingly, the celebrations take center stage in schools, where students arrive dressed in their best to pray, sing and dance \\u2013 honoring the very arts the Devi herself exemplifies. Children also partake in ceremonies that would feel familiar to Hindus across the globe \\u2014 placing their books before the Goddess for her blessings.<\\/p>\\n \"\" Image courtesy of Booksfact<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n Interestingly the worship of Devi Saraswati is\\u00a0 very popular even in Japan, where she may be \\u201cthe most revered deity after the Buddha<\\/a>,\\u201d and is also widely revered in her avatar as Benzaiten<\\/a>, the Buddhist<\\/a> Goddess of learning with many popular shrines dedicated to her.<\\/p>\\n And across the length and breadth of Bharat, local celebrations of Basant Panchami take on varying \\u00a0regional flavors<\\/a> and meaning, all the while displaying central core themes that tie them all together.<\\/p>\\n In the southern parts of India, the festival better known as Sri Panchami, is celebrated with great \\u00a0fervor \\u2013 Sri being another manifestation of the omnipresent Goddess. It marks a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest<\\/a> with traditional sweets like payasam. In the north, special fairs and celebrations\\u00a0mark newly sown crops, and the\\u00a0festivities include kite flying, public feasts, and spring carnivals.<\\/p>\\n Shrinking Spaces for Holistic Celebrations<\\/strong><\\/h3>\\n Until recently, the country of Pakistan \\u2013 especially the areas around Lahore, also celebrated Basant with great enthusiasm. Their skies would be filled with colorful dueling kites, and the atmosphere rang with festive music, fun and food. Deepa Mehta\\u2019s period movie<\\/a> \\u201cEarth-1947\\u201d featured a song that showcases the sheer joy and vibrancy of what Basant in Pakistan used to be.<\\/p>\\n

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Image courtesy of Booksfact.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

For Hindus across the world, it\u2019s the time to mark the festival of Basant Panchami, dedicated to the worship of Devi Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning and Music and celebrating the advent of spring. In a way it is the perfect combination because Saraswati symbolizes creativity and was herself born on this day, just like the nature itself emerges from winter and renews\u00a0 the world with new creativity each spring. This is also the time, swaths of the Indian countryside is aflame with fields of mustard, their trademark flowers associating Basant Panchami with the golden mustard color in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of The Statesman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The festival derives its name itself from the season of spring-variously known as \u2018Basant\u2019 or \u2018Vasant\u2019 and the word \u201dPanchami\u201d meaning fifth \u2013 in this case the fifth day of the month of Magha, in the Shukla Paksha, as tracked by the Hindu Lunar calendar. Not many realize it, but the day also begins the countdown to Holi, which always follows 40 days later<\/a>,with its explosion of colors-showing the deep linkages of Hindu festivals to one another as well as to holistic cycles of nature itself.<\/p>\n

Global yet Local <\/strong><\/h3>\n \ A world without Devi Saraswati would be one shrouded in ignorance, no wonder than that through history, Basant Panchami was an eagerly awaited milestone. And it was not just the sweep of the Indian subcontinent,<\/p>\n Image courtesy of MetroBali<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n celebrations extended all the way to Bali and Indonesia<\/a>, where Hindus still celebrate the day as \u201cHari Raya Saraswati\u201d. Quite befittingly, the celebrations take center stage in schools, where students arrive dressed in their best to pray, sing and dance \u2013 honoring the very arts the Devi herself exemplifies. Children also partake in ceremonies that would feel familiar to Hindus across the globe \u2014 placing their books before the Goddess for her blessings.<\/p>\n Image courtesy of Booksfact<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Interestingly the worship of Devi Saraswati is\u00a0 very popular even in Japan, where she may be \u201cthe most revered deity after the Buddha<\/a>,\u201d and is also widely revered in her avatar as Benzaiten<\/a>, the Buddhist<\/a> Goddess of learning with many popular shrines dedicated to her.<\/p>\n And across the length and breadth of Bharat, local celebrations of Basant Panchami take on varying \u00a0regional flavors<\/a> and meaning, all the while displaying central core themes that tie them all together.<\/p>\n In the southern parts of India, the festival better known as Sri Panchami, is celebrated with great \u00a0fervor \u2013 Sri being another manifestation of the omnipresent Goddess. It marks a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest<\/a> with traditional sweets like payasam. In the north, special fairs and celebrations\u00a0mark newly sown crops, and the\u00a0festivities include kite flying, public feasts, and spring carnivals.<\/p>\n Shrinking Spaces for Holistic Celebrations<\/strong><\/h3>\n Until recently, the country of Pakistan \u2013 especially the areas around Lahore, also celebrated Basant with great enthusiasm. Their skies would be filled with colorful dueling kites, and the atmosphere rang with festive music, fun and food. Deepa Mehta\u2019s period movie<\/a> \u201cEarth-1947\u201d featured a song that showcases the sheer joy and vibrancy of what Basant in Pakistan used to be.<\/p>\n