5 things to donate on Basant Panchami for Maa Saraswati’s blessings

For Hindus all over the world, the festivals of Basant Panchami and Saraswati Puja are occasions of great love and joy. Both are the names of the same festival, fall on the same day, and are dedicated to Maa Saraswati, the Goddess of education, knowledge, creativity, wisdom, and the arts. School children and students are especially asked to pray and study on this day as it is believed that they are the most rewarded by Maa Saraswati and are blessed with wisdom and talents.

In 2025, Saraswati Puja will be celebrated on February 2. According to Drik Panchang, “Vasant Panchami on Sunday, February 2, 2025
Vasant Panchami Muhurat - 07:09 AM to 12:35 PMDuration - 05 Hours 26 MinsVasant Panchami Madhyanha Moment - 12:35 PMPanchami Tithi Begins - 09:14 AM on Feb 02, 2025Panchami Tithi Ends - 06:52 AM on Feb 03, 2025”
And so, here we mention 5 things that should be donated on Basant Panchami, according to popular beliefs and tradition, as they are believed to attract Maa Saraswati’s blessings.

Sweet rice, or Meethe chawal, are a classic on Saraswati Puja day. Made simply with rice, jaggery or sugar, and some cardamom, sweet rice is offered as a prasad to Maa Saraswati. And it is said that offering yellow-coloured food pleases the Goddess and brings success in education. Thus, many people do not just offer it to Maa Saraswati but also donate it to the poor and needy. Some also organise langars and donate meethe chawal as prasad after performing puja.

On the day of Basant Panchami, it is said that one should wear yellow colour, or orange and white, as it fills the space with energy, love, and warmth. People wear yellow clothes and offer yellow flowers, sweets, and food to Maa Saraswati. And some people also offer and donate yellow clothes to the underprivileged children as a means of helping them and asking Maa Saraswati to bless them as well. Not just this, many people also offer yellow chunri for Maa Saraswati in temples.

As rice is one of the most important parts of prasad for Basant Panchmi, some people donate rice and jaggery on this day to enable another family to offer Maa Saraswati the prasad. And some people donate food grains for 11 days or a month to help a person in need. It is believed that donating wheat, rice, pulses, some masalas, etc brings happiness and prosperity in the givers life.

Maa Saraswati is not just the Goddess of education and knowledge, but also arts and creativity. And so, many people decide to donate art kits and supplies to their nearby schools or to NGOs that house children and educate them. There are also people who make small hampers of sketchbooks, coloured pencils, crayons, paints, and brushes and donate it to the nearby schools and orphanages.

Another form of donation of Basant Panchami day comes in the form of books, pens, notebooks, and other study materials. As Maa Saraswati is worshipped as the goddess of knowledge and intellect, giving someone the means to education is considered a ‘Mahadaan’. In fact, on this day, many people also decide to sponsor a child’s education from an orphanage or an NGO for a year or for their school life.

The rituals for Basant Panchmi or Saraswati Puja are simple and can be followed by anyone. Start the day by waking up early, take a shower to cleanse yourself, and then clean the puja area or home temple well. If there is an idol of Maa Saraswati, clean the idol and adorn her in new clothes, preferably yellow, and offer yellow flowers and sweets to her. Sit down to meditate and chant a few mantras after which you can go about your day. If you are a student, be it in school or college, it is a ritual to keep your books and study material in front of Maa Saraswati for a while and then read from the same books.