Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring

The festival is celebrated by people of Dharmic religions in the Indian subcontinent and Nepal in different ways depending on the region

Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holika and Holi, which take place forty days later

The Vasant Utsava (festival) on Panchami is celebrated forty days before spring, because any season’s transition period is 40 days, and after that, the season comes into full bloom