RIVERSIDE: Devotees arrived at Riverside's Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir Sunday dressed in yellow to celebrate Vasant Panchami. This festival marks the first day of spring and the word Vasant means spring. It is called panchami (five) because the festival falls on the fifth day of Magh Shukla. On this day boys would teasingly call a girl attired in yellow - Basanti!

The color yellow has special significance on this day. It signifies maturity and ripeness. At this time of year the fields are filled with the blossoming of mustard flowers and the yellow leaves of ripening crops.Vasant Panchami is also known as Saraswati Day because it is believed that Saraswati was born on this day.

For this reason the program began with Pandit Seshacharyulu Samudrala conducting Saraswati Puja.Mandir members brought traditional offerings such as lemon rice, Kesari halwa, Kesari rice, sweets, bananas, coconuts colored with haldi and yellow flowers and placed them at the feet of Saraswati. Garlands made from yellow flowers were placed around her neck. Recitation of Vishnu Saharanaam was led by Raji and Pani Chakrapani.

In keeping with tradition bhajans were performed by the popular singer Sudesh Bhardwaj accompanied by tabla player Vallabh Ladwa.Fourteen-year-old MC Arianne Kalra introduced each participant of the children's fancy dress show. Fourteen-month old Raghuvendra Chowdhry came dressed as baby Krishna. His eight-year old brother Vikraant came as Swami Nityananda dressed head-to-toe in gerua robes and a large rudraksha mala around his neck. Four-year old Maya Singh made a beautiful Radha.

Little two-year-old Neha Bandaru dressed as Lakshmi. Six-year-old Shaurya Mehta posed as a farmer. Priyanka Chander, nine, came as Radha. Shivani Verma, five, carried a tiny owl to identify her as Lakshmi. Complete with trishul six-year old Vatsal Jain made a perfect Shiva and his two-year old baby sister Gitali came as Meera. The Kumar kids Shreya, Kriti and Suryanash 11, 9, and 6 dressed as Punjabis carried pennants on long poles.

The youngest performer at one, Aashi Aggarwal danced a special spring dance with brother Amit, 12, and 11-year old cousin Nilesh Gupta. Vanessa Patel as flower girl, Alexis Arjuna as Krishna, toddler Eira Mann, Mahima Karia, and Aman as a Punjabi boy completed the show. Pandit Vipul Jani blessed each child. Program Co-Chairs Suma Hareesh and Kanchan Kaushal gave a yellow rose and an ice cream certificate to each child as a thank you for their participation. Announcements were followed by arati and a delicious maha Prasad.