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I would watch them later loft their simple kites made of paper and bamboo high into the skies – with the aim to “fight” with their kites – this would be achieved by trying to entangle one’s glass lined sting against the opponent’s and cutting the opponent’s string.
![kite fighting kite fighting](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/fightng-kites-1-jerry-griffin.jpg)
My first brush with kite flying was seeing boys preparing kite strings that had been coated with a mix of starch and crushed glass, stringing the strings around the trunks of trees to allow the starch to dry in the Mata Ikan area of Singapore. Kite flying as an activity has certainly evolved over the years. 2012.A night time view of what used to be the Inner Roads from the Promontory Marina Bay. "Welcome to the United Nations." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. "With Color and Panache, Afghans Fight a Different Kind of War - New York Times." NY Times Advertisement. "In search of an Afghan kite: More about kites." In search of an Afghan kite. "Afghan Kite Flying 101 - Afghanistan Relief Organization." Welcome to Afghanistan Relief Organization - Afghanistan Relief Organization . “Kite Fighting.” Internet 1996 World Exposition: Thai Pavilion. Hassan and Amir took the tournament very seriously and did not care what the cost was, as long as they won, because this was war. All physical pain was blocked out of their heads, "Next to me, Hassan held the spool, his hands already bloodied by the string" (pg. During the fight, there is nothing that can get in the way of Amir and Hassan winning the tournament. All they focused on was keeping their kites in the sky and cutting everyone else's. This shows that this tournament was not something to be taken lightly. The night before the tournament Amir was feeling very nervous and was not able to fall asleep, "I felt like a soldier trying to sleep in the trenches the ight before a major battle" (pg. When everyone gets together for the kite fighting tournament there are many different looking kites in the sky. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, kite fighting is portrayed as an extremely significant part of, not only Amir and Hassan, but to everyone in their community. As soon as two kite wires come in contact, the fight begins! The fight can last from a split second to up to half an hour, or more, depending on wind and whatever else is going on around them! Generally, the team with more experience and patience wins the fight. There can be 25 or more kites in the air during a kite fighting tournament. In order to have a kite fight, two kite teams have to be airborne simultaneously.
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Though the majority of string sold in Afghanistan is now factory-made and imported, most kites are still made by local artisans. There is no Afghan kite federation, national competitions, or marketing. Unlike in other Asian countries (like Pakistan and India), where kite flying is wildly popular, Afghanistan's kite industry is still humble. After the fall of the Taliban Government, kite fighting has returned to the country, and is still a very popular activity. Kites can go up to 3,500 meters in height depending on the size.įrom 1996 to 2001, the Taliban government in Afghanistan outlawed kite fighting, and kite flying, by declaring it “un-Islamic”. As in other countries, in Afghanistan the line is traditionally made with a cotton line and coated with a mixture of crushed glass and rice glue. The cutting of a kite line is called tar. This makes Afghan kites very light and flexible. Gudiparan are made of thin paper with bamboo wood as the supporting “skeleton”. The average wing span of fighting kites is three and a half to five feet. Gudiparan bazi (translation: flying doll), the Afghan name for kites, come in different sizes – ranging from about 10 to12 inches in diameter to the size of an adult.
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A single kit aloft is nothing but an unspoken challenge to a neighbor. In Afghanistan the sole purpose of kites is to fight them. Kite fighting is not just an ordinary game to be played in the park on warm Sunday afternoon.