Saraswati Puja: The Day for the Deity of Knowledge, Art, and Music

Written by Suraj Adhikari and Janam Raj Kaji Maharjan

While K-pop and Korean dramas are absolutely fantastic in their own right, there is much more to Korea that people living outside Korea do not realize. The Koreans are warm and welcoming of the “waeguks” (foreigners) and their cultures and traditions. A week after the celebrations of Korea’s Lunar New Year, the Hindus of Gwangju were to observe an auspicious holiday of their own – Saraswati Puja. Thus, the Hindus of Gwangju, with the backing of the Gwangju International Center (GIC) and support from the Universal Cultural Center (UCC) and the First Nepal restaurant, were able to gather at the GIC to celebrate one of the most auspicious days of the year. The festival of Saraswati Puja, also known as Shree Panchami and Basanta Panchami, is celebrated across the globe by Hindu communities in the month of Magh (January–February). Actually, this was the fourth time that the Hindu community in Gwangju has arranged such a program. This year, it took place on Sunday, February 10, just a week after Korea’s Lunar New Year. The love and blessings from local Koreans made the program absolutely gracious and memorable.

The preparation for the big day started a week earlier, with arrangements and assembling being done by dedicated volunteers. A day prior to the occasion, all the volunteers met up at the UCC to prepare food that was to be served on the following day. Kneading wheat flour to shape up the dough for a special luchhi (a Bengali dish), and slicing vegetables and mixing rice for tarkari (curry) and khichuri (a traditional rice item), every volunteer was busy readying things necessary for the celebration.

The most awesome part of the day was, however, when an artist, Muslim by religion, drew a beautiful sketch of the goddess Saraswati, reminding us all that humanity transcends all religions. On the day of the festival, Hindus around the world worship Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, art, and music. Students worship their books, while artists and musicians worship their respective tools and instruments. People simply take this opportunity to pay respects to the materials that help them acquire knowledge. All the hard work the volunteers were putting in to prepare delicious dishes, artistic articles, and other things for puja (worship) seemed as if everyone was right on track in doing what the festival was all about.

The next day, at the GIC hall where the event took place, we saw a huge number of Hindu participants, even a little more than the organizers had anticipated. Everyone looked lively and excited about Saraswati Puja. The festival is observed to mark the advent of Basanta Ritu, the spring season. Yellow, the color of ripe fruits, mustard crops, and spring flowers, is believed to be the favorite color of the goddess. Participants adorned themselves in shining clothes and decorated dresses. The beautiful yellow dresses of the female participants and the colorful traditional attire of the males added to the color of the ceremony. It was truly a visual delight.

The celebration started with a formal puja ritual. The main pundit (officiator) for the event was a graduate student from Chosun University. He dictated the puja by chanting holy mantras and paying offerings to the goddess Saraswati, asking for blessings for the good of everyone in the hall. After the puja, prasad (food as a religious offering) was distributed among all the participants, followed by short speeches about Saraswati Puja from people of different backgrounds. They shared their stories about the way they celebrated the festival in their hometowns. While the audience reminisced with their own stories of the celebration, musical performances took the stage, filling the atmosphere with sounds from a harmonium, including streams of melodies and appreciative applause. The performances were in different languages, but everyone celebrated with the sense that each was a part of the festival. The event finally ended with lunch.

As for my own experience, I (Saraj Adhikari) was over the moon when I was informed that the Hindu community was planning to celebrate Saraswati Puja this year. Back in my home country of Nepal, the day is considered very auspicious. Many people believe that good will come if you start anything on this day. When I delve through my memories of Saraswati Puja, I remember my mother waking me up, making me take a bath in the morning cold, and rushing to the pushpanjali (holy prayers). I see young girls and boys wearing yellow sari and punjabi (traditional attire), holding hands, and singing and dancing in celebration. My heart warmed to the taste of the prasad offered in the GIC hall, especially the khichuri, mixed vegetables, fruits, and sweets.

At the end of the day, I could see everyone with happy faces despite their diverse cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and nationalities. It is not our differences that divide us, but our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. On the day of Saraswati Puja, we were able to keep those differences away and celebrate under a single roof. We all know that once you are in a foreign land, you have to try to be like the locals to survive. However, the people of Gwangju have shown that they respect who we are by participating in the festival. Reliving our own cultural festivals in a foreign land creates the most joyous feeling. It not only teaches us the meaning of love, peace, and harmony but also shows us that diverse cultures bring a collective strength that can benefit all humanity. Thus, the Hindu community of Gwangju is thankful to the GIC for helping us promote our cultural identity. Also, we are grateful to the UCC and First Nepal for making things possible. I am sure the day will live on in our memories forever.

Photographs courtesy of Hindu Community in Gwangju

The Authors
Suraj and Janam are proud Nepalese citizens living in Korea since 2015, pursuing their higher education – activists and writers who always raise their voices against discrimination and conflicts prevailing in our society. We are interested in learning new cultures and making new friends. Please feel free to contact us on Facebook and Instagram @dazzling_suraj17 and @janammaharjan.