International Kite Day originated in India, in the state of Gujarat, which is famous for the amount of festivals taking place there every year. The inhabitants of Gujarat begin manufacturing the kites months in advance so they can be sure to have enough, as millions of people visit Gujarat during it. The kite festival, called Uttarayan in Hindi, celebrates the day that winter ends and summer begins, as well as the upcoming harvest season, and the kites symbolize the spirits of the gods that are awaking from their deep winter sleep. Originally, kite-flying was a sport practiced by royalty and the very wealthy, but in the recent years it has become a festival for all that people come from all over the country and even the world to take part in, especially people from Japan, Italy, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, France, and China. I have a bag full of kites in my garage which I must get out sometime. A 2m flexifoil and various sizes of sports kites.
I was expecting to wake up to devastation this morning after yesterday’s dire weather warnings. Not much of a storm where I was. You could easily have flown a kite in that.
