Late January or February, on Vasant Panchami
সরস্বতী পূজা
Saraswati Puja in Orange County
Saraswati Puja honours the goddess of learning, music, speech and the arts. It falls on Vasant Panchami, the day that marks the beginning of spring, and it is celebrated with a lightness that Durga Puja — for all its grandeur — does not have.
For anyone who went to school in Bengal, this is the festival of childhood. Books and instruments are placed at the goddess’s feet the night before and are not to be touched until after the puja: the one day of the year when studying is genuinely forbidden.
When it happens
Late January or February, on Vasant Panchami. Dates follow the lunar calendar and change each year — the next one is confirmed on our events page as soon as the venue is booked.
Most recently: Saraswati Puja 2026 · Costa Mesa, CA
See how it wentSee the events calendarHate khori — a child’s first letters
The ceremony families care most about is hate khori: a small child, usually four or five, sits in front of the goddess while an adult guides their hand to write their first Bengali letters on a slate. It is the formal beginning of a child’s education, and for families raising children far from Bengal it carries an extra weight — it is a deliberate act of passing something on.
Sanhoti runs hate khori every year for any family who wants it. If you would like your child included, tell us in advance so we can prepare.
Yellow, and why everyone is wearing it
Yellow is the colour of the festival — the colour of mustard fields in bloom and of spring itself. Women and girls traditionally wear yellow or basanti-coloured saris, and men often wear yellow panjabis. It makes for an unusually cheerful room.
Food and the day itself
The prasad is simple and specific: kool (Indian jujube), which by custom nobody eats before Saraswati Puja, along with seasonal fruit, batasha and khichuri bhog. Many Bengali households also eat gota sheddho the following day.
The afternoon usually turns into a cultural programme — recitation, songs, and performances from the children who have been rehearsing for weeks. It is the most child-centred day in the Sanhoti calendar.
Previously
Saraswati Puja at Sanhoti
Past celebrations stay online with their programmes and menus, so you can see what to expect.
Questions
About Saraswati Puja
- When is Saraswati Puja celebrated?
- Saraswati Puja falls on Vasant Panchami, in late January or February depending on the lunar calendar. Sanhoti celebrates it annually in Orange County — see the events page for this year’s date and venue.
- Can my child take part in hate khori?
- Yes. Hate khori is open to any child, and families do not need to be members. Let us know in advance through the contact page so the priest can include your child and you can bring a slate and chalk if you would like to keep it.
- What should I wear to Saraswati Puja?
- Yellow is traditional — saris, salwar kameez or panjabis in yellow or basanti shades. It is not compulsory, and plenty of people come in ordinary clothes.
- Why can’t you study on Saraswati Puja?
- Books, pens and musical instruments are placed at the goddess’s feet the night before as an offering, and by custom are not taken back until after the puja is complete. Children treat the resulting study ban very seriously.