Sunday, 10 November 2013

Jaipur Kite Festival

Jaipur, is the home of rich and royal traditional cultural heritage. The celebrations of festivals in Jaipur are really at grand level. Fairs and festivals are celebrated all over the country but when it comes to Jaipur, the enjoyment in the celebrations doubles. Jaipur starts living its real life when it comes to the celebration of festivals. The markets of the city are worth watching as they allure the natives and tourists by their colorful decorations. The festivals are celebrated in such a way that it attracts the tourists to become a part of these celebrations. The culture of the city is enriched with various fairs and festivals. Festivals like Elephant festival, Teej festival, Gangaur festival, Kite festival are some of the festivals which are celebrated with great enthusiasm. On each of the festivals, the markets are decorated in a colorful manner and the decoration captivates the tourists and the natives as well. The decoration of the markets and the houses looks very beautiful. Being a part of the splendid celebrations, you can experience the grandeur of Jaipur in its culture and heritage. There are huge processions which can be seen on the festivals. The animals such as elephants, horses, camel are beautifully decorated. These processions at the time of festivals are accompanied by drums, melodious trumpets and colorful lights. Every part of the procession shows the traditions and beauty of the Pink City.
‘Kite Festival’ or ‘Makar Sakranti’ is celebrated all over the city on 14th January. A sound of ‘Wo Kata’ can be heard all over the city. Kite Festival is celebrated with full enthusiasm and it is among one of the most awaited days in the list festivals.the celebrations and enjoyment of the Kite Festival starts early in the morning. People gather in large numbers to fly kites early in the morning with loud music. The sky is covered up by colorful and beautiful kites and the kite flyers participate in the sweet competition. Beautiful and colorful kites cover up the sky, sweet competition among the kite flyers takes place, to cut more kites. Entire city comes up on roofs to celebrate.
According to Hindu mythology, “Makar is a rashi (zodiac), and Sankranti means transition”. This elucidates that on this day, the sun changes its position. This occurrence is followed in different ways in different cities of the country. This is even called as ‘Uttrayan’ and accordingly, people pursue the rituals, and celebrate the day with flying kites. The day is awaited by most of the kids as well as adults who like kite flying. People of every age participate in kite flying, whether it be a house wife, a kid, or senior citizens. All of them enjoy the day at its best charm.
The preparations to celebrate the festival start a day earlier with buying of kites, sweets and Manja (thread). The markets of the city start getting stacked from a few days earlier with numerous kites, of all size and shapes. The old city is worth a visit, the lanes of the markets are adorned with decorative and lights. The sweet shops are loaded with mouth watering delicious recipes of sweets. This kite flying took a great shape few years ago with an International Kite Festival. The best of kites from the entire globe, took part in the competition. The best ones are awarded by the Maharaja. And each participant in the final competition gets an opportunity to enjoy a grand dinner with the Maharaja of Jodhpur at his residence, Umaid Bhawan Palace.
The International is celebrated at Polo ground (Chaugan Stadium) and is carried for three days. A three day festivity takes place in two sections with an air show and releasing balloons and kites, and kite flying competition. The International Kite Festival has great standards, where kites from all over the world can be seen with some amazing kites noticed.
Time of the year: January 14
Places to Visit: Jaipur
Duration: Three Days
About: Kite Flying
Attraction: International Competition of Kites