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The festival called BASANT
By Rabia Ali
(Source)

Every year the arrival of spring brings with it the much-awaited festival of the year, the Basant. Also known as Jashn-i-Baharan, people participate in kite flying matches to herald the coming of spring. This festival is at its peak in Lahore. Basant is not only a kite flying event, but also a cultural festival of traditional food, dresses, dances and music.

Every year, tourists from all over the world gather in Lahore to witness the most colourful and entertaining festival of the year. Not only in Lahore, Basant is celebrated with much fervour and zeal in other cities of Pakistan too. Young and old alike take great pleasure in celebrating Basant. While the kids and men are busy in kite flying, the women are busy in making delicious food. Everyone gathers on the roof tops to watch and participate as the spring winds whip the brilliantly coloured diamond-shaped paper kites into the air in such large quantities that the sky can hardly be seen.

The sky is covered with hundreds of beautiful kites of all sizes and types and this sight indeed is worth seeing. Various clubs organize carnivals where a number of stalls are set up, which offer a variety of wares including bangles, flowers and handicrafts. Kite flying competitions are also held. Thus everyone indulges in the Basant fever with keen participation to make it a memorable event of their lives.

History of Basant
Basant, the festival of kites, is said to have originated from India. The Hindus believe that when the fields are mustard yellow, it is the time for the spring festival Basant Panchami in reverence to Goddess Saraswati. Saraswati is the goddess of intelligence, wisdom and knowledge of all arts, science, music and dancing. Basant season is the king of all seasons because it is free from the intense heat of the summer, from the shivering colds of the winter and from the havoc of rain. Having its roots in India, Basant festival gradually spread to our country and is now considered one of the biggest festivals of the year.

Colours of Basant
Yellow is the predominant colour of Basant. Yellow depicts the blossoming spring flowers in the fields of Punjab. Girls wear yellow clothes, meanwhile the boys drape themselves with yellow dupattas. The ladies wear attractively decorated gajras made of marigold. Mostly yellow kites are preferred over other coloured kites. Red and orange are the other colours that signify Basant.

Kite flying
Kite flying is the most important aspect of the Basant festival. Kite flying usually takes place on roof tops. Boys of all ages prepare for the event by buying and making kites of tissue and sticks, as well as by craftily applying bits of ground glass to their own kite strings in order to cut the opponent’s string. The kites during Basant act like warriors who battle for control throughout the day. Their aim is to cut the string of the opposing kite and to secure a very high place in the sky. The kite’s weapon is its maanjha — the deadly string, which the kite flyers spend many days to prepare. The string is coated in a mixture of rice paste and ground glass to strengthen it. Every time the maanhja cuts the string of the rival kite, a cheerful cry of Bo-Kata soars in the air. Night time kite flying is another spectacular sight to witness. The entire sky is lit with heavy lights and in this eliminated sky, one can see hundreds of beautiful coloured kites dancing and competing for supremacy over the other. This atmosphere is further enlightened with barbecues and loud music coming from all corners of the city.

Basant is not just about flying kites. It is also a time to get together and to spend time with family and friends. Basant plants the roots of brotherhood and people of all classes whether poor or rich come very close to each other. Not only does the Basant festival provide entertainment, but it also gives us the chance to get close to our loved ones. Another advantage of the Basant festival is that it boosts up the economy as tourists from abroad assemble in Lahore to witness Basant festivities. The Kite industry, even though small yet rapidly expanding has brought engineering developments in this art. Apart from this, the string, or the maanjha, is exported to India which is beneficial for our trading industry.

Conclusion
Today, Basant is considered a traditional and cultural event. This year Basant was celebrated all over the country on February 15. Those of you who went to Lahore to celebrate the event I’m sure had a blast! Well some enjoyed themselves at the various events that took place in Karachi as well, as all you need is a roof top, few kites, music and delicious food to celebrate Basant.

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