The flowers are blooming. Spring is upon us. The cold chill of the winter, blowing away welcoming the new sun. Life is changing its form and birth of ideas are upon us. On the fifth day of maagh, the springs opens itself upon us and showers us with peace and serenity. On this day, we celebrate this pious occasion with the puja of ma Saraswati. Ma Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, the goddess of serenity, the goddess of music and arts is worshipped this day across the length and breadth of the world by hindus. On this very day, it is ritual to teach the child their first alphabet. This is known as haate khori or vidya arambham. The etymology of this word is ‘Haat’ meaning in hand and ‘khori’ meaning writing pencil. All the essentials for this ritual is easily available from a Saraswati puja kit.
Breakdown of the Events
Haatekhori, as discussed above is like the birth of education in a child’s consciousness. The ritual is followed in a precise manner and the following steps are followed:
- The Morning Ritual - The child is bathed and turmeric is applied on its forehead. This ritual is very typical of every hindu festival. Before any puja it is customary to wash yourself of any impurities. A morning bath is said to calm the soul and rid it of all its impurities. Turmeric on the forehead signifies prosperity. Thus this ritual is very important, especially before this ceremony as haatekhori is the ritual of receiving of the first sign of knowledge.
- The Main Event - The child along with its parents go to the nearby Saraswati temple and the ceremony is conducted by a priest. A chalk and a black slate is handed to the pundit and he helps the child in writing their first alphabet ‘om’. Om is believed to be the sound of the universe. And learning the knowledge of ‘om’ is like learning the knowledge of the universe. This moment is considered to be of particular importance in the child’s learning experience.
- The Post-Partum - After the haatekhori ceremony is completed, the child is taken to the anjali of Maa Saraswati and they ask for blessings from the goddess. A lunch of pure vegetarian food is prepared and every person of the family comes around and eats as a family.
This ceremony of celebrated on the auspicious occasion of Vasant Panchami. It is primarily the celebration of nature and so basanti coloured clothes are worn on this day. With the passing of time and electronic technology seeping down into our daily lives, you can now go online and order Saraswati puja samagri. This cut’s down your work by at least ten folds and you can concentrate on spending time with your family instead of curating a whole puja, all on your own. Pujashoppe.com is one such website where you will get all the best quality ingredients at a very discounted price. So go online and order it now.
