Basant Panchami celebrated with kite-flying competitions
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, January 24
The Basant Panchami or popularly called the Kite Festival was celebrated with kite-flying competitions and dressing up for the day. Students of several schools and educational institutions celebrated the festival dressed in varied shades of yellow and participated in yellow kite-flying competition to mark the festival of spring. They also offered prayers to Saraswati, the goddess of learning, besides organising giddha and bhangra.
Kite flying high
The festival marks the beginning of spring and is considered one of the most auspicious days of the year. The markets are flooded with kites, which are quite popular during the festivities. Special kites, shaped like lanterns, lamps, with popular celebrity faces make the festivities quite interesting. Several grounds and clubs also organise kite-flying competitions on the day. “Most of the kites are sold during this season because kite-flying is a rage during the Lohri and the Basant Panchami celebrations. People opt for interesting designs in kites like miniatures or big kites with dragons’ faces or animal shapes,” says Jagmohan Kanojia, one of the kite artists in the city.
Colour of luck
Painting the town yellow, the colour is considered auspicious for the day. From the traditional puja ceremony that uses yellow kesar tilak to wearing yellow clothes, the festival sure brings out all hues of sunshine. The special savouries for the day also include laddoos and jalebis, of course, keeping yellow in mind. “It is done to please Godess Saraswati as yellow is the colour associated with her. Since Basant Panchami also celebrates the mustard crop, so the colour significance,” says Sujata Kapoor, a housewife.
