International Kite Festival in Gujarat – Uttarayan
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Every year, Gujarat celebrates more than 2,000 festivals, the Uttarayan festival is one of the most important of them all. Nowadays, months before the festival, homes in Gujarat begin to manufacture kites for the festival. The festival of Uttarayan marks the day when winter begins to turn into summer. According to the Hindu calendar. It is the sign for farmers that sun is back and that harvest season is approching. It is what we called Makar Sankranti. At this day, a lot of Gujurat cities organized kite competition between their citizens, and they all compete to their neighbors. In this region of India, Uttarayan is such a huge celebration that it has become a local holiday for two days. [1]
| International Kite Festival in Gujarat – Uttarayan | |
|---|---|
 International Kite Festival in Gujarat 2012 | |
| Dates | 14th January, Every Year. |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Website | www.gujarattourism.com |
Location
The kite festival takes place in Gujarat India. The current name the festival has is the festival of Uttarayan. The festival is celebrated in many cities of Gujarat like Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Nadiad and many other cities. However, the International Kite Event takes place in Ahmedabad (Kite capital of Gujarat) which accommodates visitors from many international destinations.
The best place to enjoy this festival is the Sardar Patel Stadium, where people lay down to see the sky filled with thousands of kites.[2]
During the festival week the markets are flooded with kite buyers and sellers. During the festive week, shops are open 24 hours with buyers negotiating and buying in bulk. In the heart of Ahmedabad, there is one of the most famous Kite market Patang Bazaar, which also opens 24 hours a day during the Makar Sankranti week. Moreover, many families in Ahmadabad start making kites in home and setup small shops in their home itself.
Dates
The festival takes place on 14th January of each year during the Makar Sankranti and continues until the 15th of January. It is public holidays in this district of India so that everyone can take part in the celebration.
History
The symbolism of this festival is to show the awakening of the gods from their deep sleep. Through India's history, it is said that India created a tradition of kite flying due to the kings or Nawabs who found the sport entertaining and as a way to display their skills and power. It began as being a sport for kings, but over time, as the sport became popular, it began to reach the masses. Kite flying has been a regional event in Gujarat for several years. However the first International Festival was celebrated in 1989 when people from all across the globe participated and showcased their innovative kites.[3] [4]
Participants
Although the idea of flying kites to celebrate Uttrayan was introduced by Muslims from Persia, today regardless of your background or beliefs, you are welcome to fly kites with everyone else in Gujarat in January. Most visitors arrive from around India, from Gujarat itself or another state. In major cities of Gujarat, kite flying starts as early as 5 am and goes until late night where approximately 8-10 million people participate in the whole festival.[5]
However, many international visitors come from around the world, such as Japan, Italy, UK, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, France, China, and many more to take part in the celebration.
The kite festival has been strongly influenced by its international participants, in the recent events, for instance[6] -
- Malaysia have brought their wau-balang kites
- Indonesia brought llayang-llayanghave
- USA brought ginat banner kites
- Japan brought rokkaku fighting kites
- Italy brought Italian sculptural kites
- Chinese brought Flying Dragon kites and other modern wonders.
Types of Kites
During the event, kite markets are set up alongside food stalls and performers. The kites are usually made with materials such as plastic, leaves, wood, metal, nylon and other scrap materials but the ones for Uttarayan are made of light-weight paper and bamboo and are mostly rhombus shaped with central spine and a single bow. Dye and paint are also added to increase the glamour of the kite. The lines are covered with mixtures of glue and ground glass which when dried,rolled up and attached to the rear, also known as firkees, become sharp enough to cut skin. These types of sharp lines are used on fighter kites known in India as patangs to cut down other kites during various kite fighting events. During the night, after the festival has ended, illuminated kites known as tukals or tukkals are launched creating a spectacle in the dark sky.
- List of Kite types
List of other kite festivals
Bristol International Kite Festival
Weifang International Kite Festival
Kite is a real part of the culture in Asia, that is why most of the kite festivals around the world take place in this area. Five Most Popular Kites Festival of the World : Japan Kite Festival, China Kite Festival, Jakarta Kite Festival, Washington State International Kite Festival, International Kite Festival of India. [7]
References
- ^ Subhamoy, Das. "Uttarayan & the Kite Festival of Gujarat". http://www.about.com/. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ Aggarwal, Priya. "International Kite Festival Gujarat 2012". Travel Events.
- ^ "International Kite festival". Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ Subhamoy, Das. "Uttarayan & the Kite Festival of Gujarat". About.com Guide. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ Aggarwal, Priya. "International Kite festival". Travel Events. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- ^ CNN (15). "Uttarayan: International Kite Festival in Gujarat". CNN GO. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help); Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ http://www.thetravel-guide.com (August 19, 2010). "5 Most Popular Kites Festivals of the World". http://www.thetravel-guide.com.
{{cite web}}: External link in|author=and|publisher=
[1] Gujarat State Portal, N.D. All About Gujarat: Kite festival Retrieved Wednesday, October 24, 2012
[2] Gujarat Tourism, 2009 International Kite Festival (Uttarayan) Retrieved Wednesday, October 24, 2012
- ^ "Gujarat State Portal". Kite Festival. Retrieved Wednesday, October 24, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "International Kite Festival (Uttarayan)". Retrieved Wednesday, October 24,2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)