The International Kite Festival

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The International Kite Festival

• Pictures from the Kite Museum, Ahmedabad

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• January is the time for kite festivals to take
  place all over India.

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• The International Kite Festival, however, is held
  at Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

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• It takes place on January 13th or 14th, to
  coincide with the festival of Uttarayan or Makar
  Sankranti.

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• Families celebrate this holiday together.

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• Traditionally the kites are made from paper.
• But this is not a gentle sport!

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• The aim is to fly your kite, cut out the
  opposition and leave your kite flying.

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• Special mixtures of glue and ground glass cover
  the lines. This helps to cut through an opponents
  line, sending their kite crashing to the ground.

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• This makes the lines so sharp that, carelessly
  used, they can cut a finger.

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• After dark, thousands of kites are fitted with
  cylindrical paper lamps. These fill the sky like
  brightly flickering stars.