I have been looking forward to Kite Festival for a whole year. I missed it by only 3 days when I moved to India last year, and everyone has told me how great it is. Kite Festival lived up to its reputation.
Those of you who have read "The Kite Runner" will understand. Basically everyone buys a crap-load of inexpensive paper kites and sharp string. Just like with all festivals here, make-shift shops popped up all over the city selling supplies. The kite string is coated with egg (I heard) and ground glass. This makes it strong and sharp. it is fun to see them doing the coating process and winding of spools on the roadside. Everyone goes to their rooftop and flies their kites. It is fun just to fly, but the real fun is to cut other peoples kite string with your kite string. If you cut their line, you hoot and holler and celebrate. Of course, you only cut the lines of neighbors, you don't cut the lines of friends and family on your roof.
There is a technique to flying kites that I learned. In US, you only fly kites if there is wind, and basically you let the wind do the work. I learned how to fly kites even if the wind is wind is low. I also learned how to tie the string to the paper kite in order to get the right flying angles. Even with the language barrier, I figured it all out from my friend's kind family.
Other than the kite flying, there is dancing, fireworks, and lighting of floating paper lanterns (thank god that buildings in A-bad are made of concrete, as the whole city would have burned down). We also went to old city for late night snacks (chocolate sandwich and salted lassi for me).
My friend's cousin was visiting for this festival. He is studying in US and brought his American girlfriend. I felt like a knowledgable ambassador for her, and even a translator. I am a little proud about how much I have learned in the last year.
Those of you who have read "The Kite Runner" will understand. Basically everyone buys a crap-load of inexpensive paper kites and sharp string. Just like with all festivals here, make-shift shops popped up all over the city selling supplies. The kite string is coated with egg (I heard) and ground glass. This makes it strong and sharp. it is fun to see them doing the coating process and winding of spools on the roadside. Everyone goes to their rooftop and flies their kites. It is fun just to fly, but the real fun is to cut other peoples kite string with your kite string. If you cut their line, you hoot and holler and celebrate. Of course, you only cut the lines of neighbors, you don't cut the lines of friends and family on your roof.
There is a technique to flying kites that I learned. In US, you only fly kites if there is wind, and basically you let the wind do the work. I learned how to fly kites even if the wind is wind is low. I also learned how to tie the string to the paper kite in order to get the right flying angles. Even with the language barrier, I figured it all out from my friend's kind family.
Other than the kite flying, there is dancing, fireworks, and lighting of floating paper lanterns (thank god that buildings in A-bad are made of concrete, as the whole city would have burned down). We also went to old city for late night snacks (chocolate sandwich and salted lassi for me).
My friend's cousin was visiting for this festival. He is studying in US and brought his American girlfriend. I felt like a knowledgable ambassador for her, and even a translator. I am a little proud about how much I have learned in the last year.
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