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Kites filled the sky and yellow colour ran riot on the streets of Lahore as Pakistan�s second largest city celebrated "Basant", the spring festival.With the advent of Spring, skies of Lahore are resplendent with all types of sizes of kites. The entire population participates in kite-flying matches to herald the coming of Spring.How about enjoying traditional Lahori style kite-flying, right in the heart of the Old City! The zooming kites leaving colorful marks in the darkening sky taken over by brilliant white "guddis" that are especially made for night kite-flying that is the eve of Basant.

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The Festival of Basant (Sanskrit for Spring) was celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour across Punjab and the rest of Pakistan in early February. Lahore formed the centre of celebrations with the entire city coming out to celebrate this joyous occasion. Basant is a popular and ancient festival and kite flying is an important activity associated with Basant.

Kite flying from rooftops and in public parks and feasting are the main activities of the Lahoris on the occasion.

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Girls attired in the seasonal yellow join in the festivity yesterday, a rare sight in the otherwise strictly segregated society.

Contests in which kite fliers try to snap the kite of the rival high above, began overnight with search-lights chasing the kites.

Every success was celebrated with the Bhangra dance and beating of drums, followed by a feast. Automatic weapons used to be fired also on the occasion but the military Government banned the terrifying practice two years ago.

On the streets children chase the falling kite and its snapped string, posing a hazard to motorists.

On Wednesday, a sharp string cut the throat of a child being taken by his father on a motorcycle to see the preparations for Basant.

Thousands of outsiders joined the Zindadilan-e-Lahore (fun-lovers of Lahore) in celebrating the festival which Islamic zealots had been campaigning to be banned as an un-Islamic activity.

However the Islamists� argument that it is a Hindu-Sikh festival impressed neither the Lahore High Court, which rejected such a plea last week, nor the Lahoris who go on celebrating Basant on a grander scale each year.

This year the festivities would go on until March 23 with such events added as a national horse and cattle show, a food and craft festival and the Republic Day parade.

A whole street in the historic city�s old Gwalmandi quarter has been turned into a food street for the Lahoris who are known for their love for food.

Traders of Lahore promote the Basant festival which was introduced by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a Sikh ruler of the province of Punjab of which Lahore is the capital, 150 years ago.

This year multinational companies joined the business bonanza that the festival brings.

Social and political elite give respectability to the festival & the participation of showbiz figures and pop singers add charm to it.

The night of fierce dog fights between master kite fliers is meticulously arranged only in the Walled city of Lahore. With its column like house going up to seven storeys huddled together; the roofs are an excellent battleground. As the shouts of "Bo-Kata" (the triumphant cry when you cut your opponents kite) raise the temperature, the skyline lights up with brilliant fireworks and white spotlights turning night into day. Special food is prepared and dry fruit and Kashmiri tea is served throughout the period.

The festive mood of Basant has been attracting tourists to Lahore in ever larger numbers. Pakistan railway ran special trains and the national airline arranged special flights to cope with the rush this year.

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