🪕 When is Saraswati Puja 2024

Vedic mantra, in general, from year to year becomes more popular in modern times. Everything attracts in it – traditions, wisdom, soul practices, canteen, etc. And it’s not accidentally, because of Vedas, as a source of knowledge, are the most ancient on our planet. One of the famous Vedic mantras is the mantra to Saraswati. Let’s investigate, what is or who is Saraswati and what is her role in the modern world for India of, probably, for the whole planet.

According to the Vedic Calendar, the birthday of Saraswati is on the fifth day of lunar month Magha according to the moon calendar, so it is celebrated on different dates annually. On that day Puja is usually organized. Puja means a celebration of worship and prayer to the gods. In this case, Saraswati Puja means praying to Saraswati and asking her for enlightenment and wisdom. When is Saraswati Puja in 2024? The calendar shows us the 29th of January. Also, Indians connects Saraswati Puja with the beginning of spring and spring holiday, so this celebration may be associated only with everything positive, new and bright. It is like a new beginning and people’s asking for that beginning be more fool enlightenment, that previous.

In Indian’s culture, Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom, knowledge, arts and oratory. Specifically, she marries (units) the Sky and the Earth. Firstly, she is river’s goddess and she is usually pictured on the white Swan. She was devoted to three anthems. She is also considered as the goddess of singing, so she is always pictured with four hands. The legends say, that after the ancient river dried up or changed course, the goddess Sarasvati ceased to connect with the river, now she is the wife of Brahma and goddess of the arts and sciences. Considered, that she invented the Sanskrit and Devanagari alphabet.

Celebration traditions

There are several main traditions of Saraswati Puja celebration. So, when Saraswati Puja 2024 is, main activities include:

• Singing (it can me anthem singing, there are about 3 Saraswati’s Anthems or Vedic mantra);
• Fire ritual of Agnihotra (Agnihotra is the ritual of the offering of a sacrifice to fire one or group, call to worship, aspects of the Absolute);
• The lighting of the lamp in a clarified cow’s butter and offering to goddess gifts in the form of flowers and fruits (that is the main tradition because flowers and fruits themselves are the worship to Saraswati).

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Saraswati as a goddess of wisdom refers to one of the most popular characters of the ancient Vedic culture, along with Krishna, Vishnu, and Shiva. Indians believe that everybody, who signifies their reverence and affection to Saraswati, definitely will gain wisdom, clarity in thoughts and will get an excellent education. From some point, Saraswati Puja is the day of knowledge, in which it will be great to start learning new science. In Indian children is often taken to special ceremony “vidiyarambha-samskara”. For our understanding that is that day, when young boys and girls, mostly in four years old – start to learn from the alphabet learning.

It’s also highly appreciated to read sacred Scripture, first of all – Bhagavadgita and Ramayan. There are also some traditions in clothes wearing on that day. Due to the fact, that Saraswati always wears everything white colors and see is the symbol of purity and virtue – that is good to put everything white on.  However, not less popular another cult color of celebration – yellow. This is the color of the mustard, which blossoms at this time of the year on the field. On this day women take to the streets in festive yellow Sari. The goddess Saraswati is dressed in yellow clothes and because of it this color is offered to wear to her prayers. This way, when Saraswati Puja in 2024 is, you can put on everything white or yellow and become a part of Saraswati Puja celebration. Also, it is popular to prepare a meal in yellow colors and to share it with friend and relatives. That is popular between students who can present holiday meal to their teachers, between girls, who want to be married soon and between others.

Although Saraswati knows the secrets of improving in knowledge, the main thing, though, is to see the connection between the creative energy of man and his intellect with spiritual energy flowing from God. By the way, genuine knowledge is the aesthetic way of expressing our feelings to God. The Vedas describe the 64 kinds of fine arts, mastery brought in a man by the goddess Saraswati.

Some form this list may seem somewhat unusual to us if we will investigate all of them, but in any case here is main of them (already put in groups):

• Singing, playing musical instruments, dance, theater;
• Visual arts, painting face and body paint and makeup;
• Preparing dishes from rice and flowers to God;
• Making bed, decoration of bed with a blanket of flowers;
• Preparation of necessary ingredients and items for cleaning teeth, washing clothes and body decorations;
• The framing of different objects or of the interior of the home of precious stones, dressing in a small room;
• Compiling and solving puzzles, as well as a contest in poetry;
• The entanglement of the interlocutor through words, conduct interviews, recitations of poetry, prose and religious hymns, the story and art play little plays or stories;
• Searching for the key to the mystical poems, herbal treatment, training, fighting rams and others.

So, on the 29th of January – what is the date of Saraswati Puja 2024, people can celebrate very differently. As you see, all of these masteries express Saraswati’s essence and main symbols she has. Everyone can choose, what is really important for him or her personally and make on Saraswati Puja celebrations accordingly. In any case, Indians culture and its holidays as Saraswati Puja, in particular, are mysterious for other countries. And what day Saraswati Puja in 2024 is just to learn more about local traditions and take notes, what we can take to us from it and how it can make our lives more harmonized with other people, nature, and the universe.