Vasant Panchami (Devnagari:वसन्त पञ्चमी), sometimes referred to as Vasant Panchami or Shree Panchami (Devnagari:श्रीपञ्चमी), is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship (Pitr-tarpan) is performed; the god of love Kamadeva is worshipped; and most educational institutions organise special prayer for Saraswati. The color yellow also plays an important role in this festival, in that people usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshipped dressed in yellow, and yellow sweets are consumed within the families. Children love flying kites . They enjoy the festival with great fun and enthusiasm.
Saraswati (in Sanskrit sara means essence and swa means self) meaning eis traditionally depicted with a serene and calm expression with a majestic air. She is seated on a white lotus in Padmasana, adorned by a pure white silk sari, has a book in her lower left hand, her lower right hand showing the chinmudra, Aksharamala in her right upper hand, and Amrithakalasam in her left upper hand. Both eyes are full of compassion. The vehicle assigned to each of the three goddesses also symbolically represent their special powers.
(... from Wikipedia on 2012-04-17 21:53:24)