Fresh breeze, colorful flowers and new leaves are all an indication of a turnover, a change of season, milder weather, and thus an occasion for joy.
The month of February means springtime. The special thing about springtime is that it is celebrated all over the world. Many cities of the world celebrate springtime on different dates according to their own calculations.
‘Basant’ (beginning of spring festival) can, without doubt, be called a cultural event and the major one of the Asia. However, there is some dispute about whether it is a Hindu or a Muslim festival. One thing, though, is clear, kite flying originated in the province of Punjab even before the partition of the Indo Pak subcontinent and that it is not related to any religion in any way because the two communities lived together in this part before partition and both celebrated the festival with equal enthusiasm.
The most significant way of celebrating the seasonal change is the kite flying festival that is eagerly awaited by the inhabitant of Asia. In fact, people from all over the world come to Lahore, Pakistan to participate in the event. Two months before the arrival of kite flying festival, the preparations begin. Kites of all sizes and shapes are brought and stored in huge quantities, while prices goes up alarmingly just before the festival.
Kite flying is not a sport anymore. It has assumed the proportions of a home industry. Vehcle, a village near the Indian border, is the biggest kite manufacturing area of the world. The paper of which kites are made is imported from Norway, Germany and China. Most kite makers are inexperienced and make eight kites in a day.
Some kites are made only for decoration. They are huge with beautiful pictures on them that attract passers by luring them to buy kites. The prices vary and are based on a simple principle “the bigger the kite, the more expensive it is”. But however good a kite may be, it is useless unless there is good string attached to it. Like kite making, preparing the string is an art too. The string comes from India in a raw form. Earlier, it used to be imported from other countries.
Kite flyers engage in contests to find out who is the better flyer. When the kite of one’s opponent is cut down the winner express their victory by shouting, hooting, beating of drum and metal on metal. This trend of celebrating the occasion has now been supplemented with loud speakers, records, cassettes and lately, firing in the air. ‘Basant’ is most fun to watch in the walled city of Lahore, Pakistan. People are everywhere, on the rooftops, in the fields, on the ground, on the roads and at every street corner.
The old traditions are slowly withering away, their place being taken by advanced methods. The night before ‘basant’ the city gives the impression of daylight. Searchlights highlight the sky and white colored kites are flown. The spiritedness visible on this occasion is worth relishing indeed.
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