Festival · Magha Shukla Panchami
Vasant Panchami 2026
Magha Shukla Panchami: Saraswati's day, and the first sign of spring. Yellow clothes, books worshipped, and a small child's first letters.
Date, tithi and timing
Times are for Kolhapur. The app gives times for your city.
Date by city
The date is the same in every city listed.
Next year, 2027
Quick facts
- Also known asSaraswati Puja, Shri Panchami, Basant Panchami
- WhereAll of India; big in Bengal, Odisha and Punjab
- Puja forSaraswati
- In one lineThe day of Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, language, music and the arts, and the start of spring.
Vasant Panchami, in a little more detail
- 01
About the festival
Magha Shukla Panchami is Vasant Panchami. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, language, music and all the arts, and today is hers.
Yellow is the colour of the day: the mustard flowering in the fields, and Saraswati's favourite. Yellow clothes, yellow food, and yellow for the goddess too.
Spring is called the king of seasons, and today the preparations for it begin. It's a day to start learning and to honour your books, instruments and pens: respecting what you learn is the meaning of the day.
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Kama and Shiva's third eye
Shiva sat deep in meditation, and Parvati hoped to marry him. The rishis asked Kama, the god of love, to break into his meditation.
Kama loosed his arrow. Shiva's meditation broke, but in anger he opened his third eye, and Kama burned to ashes.
Kama was born again as Pradyumna, son of Krishna and Rukmini. So in some places today is Madana Panchami: spring is the season of love, and the god of love comes back with it.
- 03
In Maharashtra and beyond
In Maharashtra, a newly married couple dresses in yellow and visits a temple on their first Vasant Panchami. In some places Shiva and Parvati are worshipped with mango blossom and ears of wheat.
Today small children are taught to write their first letters. In Odisha, children of four or five begin school with the Khadi-Chuan or Vidyarambha ritual; Bengalis call it Haate-Khori, and schools across Bengal hold Saraswati Puja.
In Punjab it's Basant, the festival of kites. In Delhi, Basant is kept in yellow at the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya too, a custom traced to Amir Khusrau. And Holi comes about forty days from today.
How to do the puja
In short: Saraswati in yellow, your books and instruments before her, and a small child writing first letters.
- 1Bathe and dress in yellow.Yellow: the mustard in the fields, and Saraswati's favourite colour.
- 2Spread a yellow cloth on a clean patta and set Saraswati's picture on it.A photo of Saraswati works just as well as an image.
- 3Place your books, notebooks, pens and any instrument before her.School children bring the books from their school bags.
- 4Offer yellow flowers, haldi-kunku and akshata, and light a lamp and incense.No flowers? Akshata and haldi-kunku alone will do.
- 5Recite a Saraswati vandana or a prayer you know.The words matter less than the feeling.
- 6Offer a yellow sweet or fruit as naivedya, and do the aarti.A sheera or rice coloured with saffron or turmeric, or bananas.
- 7If there's a small child at home, hold their hand and trace their first letters on a slate.Children of about four or five usually begin their letters today.
- 8After the puja, read, write or sing a little: a start for the year of learning.Many families study or make music together today.
What you needTick as you go
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Frequently asked questions
How do I start a child's first letters?
After the puja, sit the child on your lap, hold their hand and trace "Shri" or "Om" and the first letter of the alphabet on a slate. Families choose different letters. Odisha calls it Khadi-Chuan, and Bengal Haate-Khori.
Should I study today?
Yes: today is a day for learning. Some homes leave the books before the goddess until the puja ends, then read a little from them.
What should I offer as naivedya?
Anything yellow: a saffron sheera, rice with saffron or turmeric, ladoos or bananas. Eating yellow food is part of the day too.
Do I have to fast?
No. Today is about the puja and learning, not a fast. Some people simply don't eat until the puja is done.
Set a reminder in the app
The app sends a notice the day before and on the day, even offline.