Allahabad, Feb 11: People in different parts of the country are celebrating the spring festival of 'Basant Panchami' with great enthusiasm today.

In Allahabad, millions of devotees took the holy dip in the River Ganga River.

The fourth bathing festival of Magh Mela is an important part of 'Basant Panchami'.

Offerings are made to the Goddess Saraswati and the colour yellow also plays a significant part in this festival.

A deity of Goddess Saraswati decorated with mustard, sunflower and other yellow blooms. People also prefer to wear yellow coloured clothes on this day.

Yellowish sweetmeats are distributed among relations and friends. Some people feed Brahmins, some perform Pitri-Tarpan (ancestor worship) and many worship Kamadeva, the God of Love.

The day is also considered auspicious for initiating children into learning. Tradition has it that children should not be helped by adults into learning until the initiation ceremony is performed before Goddess Saraswati.

A large number of children are initiated into learning at temples or at home in front of an idol of the Goddess Saraswati.

Basant or spring which coincides with Panchami or the waxing moon at the end of January or early February is considered auspicious by Indians. (ANI)