What is the relation of Vasant Panchami with Goddess Saraswati?

Question

Tomorrow is Vasant Panchami and my Bengali friends shall be celebrating Saraswati Puja. I wanted to know if the worship of Saraswati is mentioned in any scripture on this particular day.

Answer 1

Vasant Panchami is the day Magha Shukla Panchami.

From Wikipedia:

Vasant Panchami has a specific meaning: Vasant means "spring" and Panchami means "the fifth day." Vasant Panchami falls on the fifth day of spring.

Vasant Panchami is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright half of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month of Magha, which typically falls in late January or February.

You can get a scriptural reference in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana.

Quoting from the Essence of Brahma Vaivarta Purana:

Having described that Durga, Radha, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Savitri were the Pancha Prakritis, Narayana Maharshi told Narada Muni that Shri Krishna performed worship to Prakritis Amshabhuta Kala Swarupa Devis viz. Vaani, Vasundhara, Ganga, Shashthi, Mangala Chandika, Tulasi, Manasa, Nidra, Swadha, Swaahaa and Dakshina. Shri Krishna said that in terms of Teja (Radiance), Rupa (Form) and Gunas (Features), these Eleven Devis were as significant as his own. As the details of worship of Durga, Radha and Lakshmi would be taken up later, Narayana Rishi desired to describe the Puja Vidhana of Devi Saraswati first. Devi Saraswatis worship is the most auspicious on Megha Shukla Panchami as ordained by Shri Krishna when all over the Universe the Puja as also Vidyaarambha ( initiation of Studies) is performed by human beings, Manuganas, Devatas, Muniganas, Vasus, Yogis, Siddhas, Nagas, Gandharvas and Rakshasas with the traditional Shodashopacharas by invoking Saraswati into a Kalasha or a Book. Then puja should be done to six Devatas viz. Ganesha, Surya, Agni, Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi Parvati before performing Puja to Devi Saraswati.