Basant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basant, sometimes called Jashan-e Baharaan (جشن بہاراں, जश्न ए बहारां lit. Spring Festival) or Basant Panchami (بسنت پنچمی, बसंत पंचमी ), is a festival celebrating the arrival of Spring. It is celebrated by people of all religious backgrounds; Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians. It is a celebration day of Lahore in Pakistan but has now spread throughout south asia. Traditionally, celebrants dress in bright yellow or green, and many people fly kites from rooftops. In the city of Lahore, the festival lasts three days. In most other cities, there is only a one-day celebration. The Basant festival heralds the end of winter and arrival of spring. It is celebrated in the entire Indian subcontinent, and particularly in Pakistan, with flying kites - perhaps because spring generally brings a clear sky and just the right amount of wind.
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[edit] 2005 Kite Ban in Pakistan
Historically, there have been people injured each year falling off rooftops and being cut by kite strings. While participating in "kite battles," some kite fliers even coat their strings with glass or shards of metal, leading to more injuries. As of 2005, kite flying has been banned in Pakistan. Violent protests have occurred outside the Pakistani Supreme Court house, and further protests are planned. Despite the ban on kite flying one can see hundreds of kites every afternoon and evening on Lahore's sky and the number of kites is even higher on Sundays and public holidays.
The Basant ban was lifted by the supreme court of Pakistan for 15 days in March but was again enforced late night on 10 March by the chief minister of Punjab, Pervaiz Elahi. On January 4, 2006, the provincial government of Punjab lifted the ban for 24 hours so that kite flying can be enjoyed on the holiday. [1]
