On
January 14, when Gujarat celebrates Makar Sankranti to mark
the last harvest of winter, Ahmedabad hosts the International
Kite Festival, the largest of its kind in the world. For weeks
in advance shops brim with a splendid assortment of kites of
strange and original designs, many painted with animals or the
faces of gods and heroes.
A Social Event
India has a long tradition of kite-flying, and during the
festival the city comes alive with diving and darting kites
flitting through the clear blue skies as families join with
enthusiasts from all over Asia and as far a field as America
and Japan. On the first day of the festival, crowds of
kite-flyers gather in 'Patang Nagar', a "Kite Town" - usually
in the police stadium-to display models of all sizes, made of
paper, cloth, bamboo and fibreglass.
There's a carnival atmosphere, with food and crafts stalls and
performances of dance and music late into the night. On the
second day you can follow the experts to the city's roof
terraces and learn to fly kites, and after dark the night sky
is ablaze with 'tukal' kites strung with coloured lights.
Reach Out To The Skies
The
climax of the festival comes on the third day, when kite
strings are coated with a lethal mixture of ground glass, egg
yolk and boiled rice, and kites are played off against one
another in fierce combat. Cries of "kata!" fill the air as
slashed kites fall stricken from the skies and come to rest
limping on telegraph wires and trees.
The Navratri festival celebrations at Ahmedabad and Baroda
are famous throughout Gujarat . Come October and there's just
one feeling allover. There is a feeling of joy & happiness. A
time for dance and music when the young hearts throb with
excitement and energy.
The Night Is Young
Navratri
is celebrated for nine nights and reaches its finale on the
Dussehra day. During this period, young people in their best
traditional dresses, 'chania choli' for girls and 'dhoti kurta'
for boys, dance the traditional
Garbha and the dandiya raas through the night for all the nine days of
the festival.
Here the evenings and nights are occasions for the fascinating
Garba dance. The women dance around an earthen lamp while
singing devotional songs accompanied by rhythmic clapping of
the hands.
Similar
to the Rath Yatra of Jagannath Puri in Orissa, a Rath Yatra is
carried out in Ahmedabad as well. The procession starts in the
morning from the Jagdish Mandir situated in the Jamalpur area
of the city. The chariots of Krishna, Balram and Subhadra,
adorned with garlands, are taken round the city amidst much
pomp and show.
On
January 14, when Gujarat celebrates Makar Sankranti to mark
the last harvest of winter, Ahmedabad hosts the International
Kite Festival, the largest of its kind in the world. For weeks
in advance shops brim with a splendid assortment of kites of
strange and original designs, many painted with animals or the
faces of gods and heroes. 
The
climax of the festival comes on the third day, when kite
strings are coated with a lethal mixture of ground glass, egg
yolk and boiled rice, and kites are played off against one
another in fierce combat. Cries of "kata!" fill the air as
slashed kites fall stricken from the skies and come to rest
limping on telegraph wires and trees. 
Navratri
is celebrated for nine nights and reaches its finale on the
Dussehra day. During this period, young people in their best
traditional dresses, 'chania choli' for girls and 'dhoti kurta'
for boys, dance the traditional
Garbha and the dandiya raas through the night for all the nine days of
the festival.
Similar
to the Rath Yatra of Jagannath Puri in Orissa, a Rath Yatra is
carried out in Ahmedabad as well. The procession starts in the
morning from the Jagdish Mandir situated in the Jamalpur area
of the city. The chariots of Krishna, Balram and Subhadra,
adorned with garlands, are taken round the city amidst much
pomp and show.
