Basanta Panchami, commonly known as Saraswati Puja, is the biggest festival for young students in Nepal celebrated by Hindus. The festival is celebrated by worshipping Goddess Saraswati, who is known as the Goddess of education. It is celebrated all over the country on the same day called Basanta Panchami which falls in February.

The goddess of knowledge and wisdom, Saraswati, is worshipped in every school and other educational institutes. Students visit their educational institutions early in the morning to worship the goddess who is decorated in the most beautiful attire. The statue of the goddess is surrounded by decorative and the special prasad called Buniya is distributed to the visitors.

The festival is marked as the day when the families sit with their young children, encourage them to write their first words with their fingers, and believe they will learn faster. For music lovers, the day is also celebrated by learning musical instruments and music.

 People believe that Basanta Panchami is the perfect day to start a new venture and make a commitment to something good or quit a bad habit. There are several names of the goddess Saraswati as Bharati, Sharada, Jagatmata, Bageshwari, Kaumari, Baradayani, and Kamdhenu, and people in different regions of Nepal might recognize her with a different name.

Basanta Panchami, the beginning of Spring season, falls on the fifth of the month Magh and announces the arrival of an exciting festival of colors – Holi that takes place after forty days of Basanta Panchami. As the season’s transition period is forty days, so the festival is celebrated forty days ahead of the blooming season - Spring.

Goddess Saraswati has four hands which symbolize ego, intellect, alertness, and mind, and she seats on a lotus or a peacock. Yellow is the color of the goddess and it signifies the brilliance of the nature that adds vibrance in life. People, on this day, often dress in yellow, decorated with yellow color, and distribute yellow prasad called Buniya. Other prasad items include Kheer, Bondi, Rajbhog, Haluwa, etc.