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Kite Flying and Basant

Picture: Kites over Pakistan, posted on Pakistani Pictures, originally uploaded by Manitoon.

The Basant festival, celebrated in Pakistan and parts of India, welcomes the beginning of spring. In most places it is a one-day festival, strongly associated with kite flying. In Lahore, Pakistan, capital of the agriculture-based province of Punjab, Basant is a three-day celebration, with the skies over the city studded with kites. The festival is also celebrated by Pakistani communities in other parts of the world, including one annual celebration in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nearly the entire population of Lahore participates in kite-flying matches to herald the coming of spring. More than one million people compete and, as the festival has grown, it is attracting thousands of tourists and other outsiders.

Basant is one of the few non-religious holidays in this predominantly Muslim country. Kite flying was originally made a part of the Basant celebrations by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a Sikh ruler of the province of Punjab, 150 years ago.

As the festival has grown in popularity in Lahore, it has grown to include other traditions, such as a horse and cattle show, a food and craft festival, a parade, and corporate sponsors. The social and political elite all participate, along with movie stars and pop singers. Fireworks and spotlights light the sky so that the kite fighting can continue into the night.

The kite fighters take their places on roof tops throughout the city. The strings of the kites are made of sharp wire, or string coated with glass; fighters attempt to use their strings to cut down their opponent’s kite and capture it as a prize. Kite fighting is popular throughout Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and in other parts of the world, including Korea, Japan, Brazil, Cuba, Thailand and Malaysia, with many kite festivals taking place in the spring. David Sahar gives a great description of Afhani kite fighting and its rules on Afghana.com.

Basant has been celebrated in Pakistan for over 3000 years, dating back to the early Indus valley agricultural civilization. According to legend, there was once a Raja named Basant who ruled over the ancient land of Indus. One year, when there was drought, he cancelled all taxes to help his people. Ever since, people have celebrated Basant every year at the arrival of Spring. It is viewed by many in Pakistan as a source of Pakistani pride, since it is associated with the area’s long history of civilization, and is celebrated by all Pakistanis, regardless of religious creed.

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