Spring brings the sun - but what else do you see in the sky? Imagine the spring sky filled with color. During Basant, green, blue, red, and yellow kites welcome the arrival of spring.

Lahore, a city in Pakistan, has perfect flying conditions.  It is no wonder, then, that the largest and most famous Basant festival takes place here.

Women, men, boys and girls, young and old, climb to their rooftops.  Dressed in yellows and greens, they beat drums, set off fire-crackers, and watch the display. In the parks, dancers and singers perform.  Food stalls brim with fried fish, roast chickens, and spicy rice dishes.

Some enjoy the beauty, others like the competition.  Flyers line their kite strings with shards of metal or powdered glass.  They hope to cut competitor’s strings and bring their kites tumbling to the ground!  Children chase the fallen kites.

Officials in Pakistan banned kite flying two years ago because of danger from cut power lines, sharp strings, as well as falls from rooftops.  On Basant, though, the ban is usually lifted.  Kites and caution are thrown to the spring winds.

The love of kites rises above religious differences.  Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians across the Indian sub-continent celebrate the arrival of spring by launching kites. 

Activity: Make a Spring Kite!

Materials:

• 2 strong, straight wooden sticks of bamboo or wooden dowel; one measuring 24 inches, the other 16 inches
• ruler
• glue
• kitchen string or garden twine
• 1 sheet of strong paper; at least 25 by 17 inches
• scissors
• markers, paint or crayons
• colorful ribbons
• a reel of kite twine for flying

1. Mark the longer (24-inch) rod at a third of its length (8 inches).
2. Mark the shorter (16-inch) rod at a half of its length (8 inches).
3. Place the short rod over the longer one at a right angle, so that the marks touch.  (The two rods should look like a “t”.)
4. Put a dab of glue at the intersection and then bind the two rods tightly with the string.  Secure with a knot, and trim excess string.  Your kite has a spine!
5. Ask a grown-up to cut a small notch at the 1/2 –inch from the ends of both rods.
6. Wind string around the rod at the notch.  Draw it tightly around to the notch on the next rod.  Continue all the way around.  When you reach the top, knot the ends of the string securely.  This is the frame of your kite!
7. Place the frame on a large piece of paper and use as a template.  Cut the paper, leaving an inch excess as you cut around the string frame.
8. Decorate the kite-shaped paper with markers, paint, or crayons.
9. Generously smear glue around the edges of the paper, and fold over around the string, pasting it to the other side of the paper.
10. Glue lengths of ribbon to the bottom of the diamond-shape for streamers.
11. Measure a length of string to be a bit longer than the shorter rod.  Tie it to each end of the shorter rod.
12. Do the same to the longer rod.
13. Pick up the two strings, finding their intersection, and tie them together. 

Flying your kite:

1. Ask a grown-up to help you find a suitable location away from power lines.
2. Attach a reel of kite string to the intersecting strings in step 13 above.
3. Remember that paper kites are delicate—they may buckle in high winds or break if they fall.