This week's culture post is inspired by a conversation I had with Maroof. During our individual session he brought up the movie and the book "The Kite Runner" because another one of the Farsi students (Eric) is studying the author of the book. One of the scenes in the preview is about kite flying competitions. I read the book years ago and really enjoyed it. Now I want to see what kite flying in Afghanishtan is really about.
The information used in this culture post comes from this site:
www.afghanistan-culture.com
Kite flying competitions in Afghanistan are a combination of art and sport. The competators make their own kites and the goal as to direct thier kite toward another and using its string, cut the opponent's kite loose. In doing so, you become the victor. If you find the opponent's kite after it floats down to the ground then you are considered even more victorious. An interesting fact that this article pointed out was that many people are actually hurt while chasing kites from falling off roofs. Any kites that are found around the neighborhood are considered fair game for children to use and play with. People also use the kites the find for decoration in their homes.
Prime kite flying season is in the spring, summer and fall, but fall is preferred because of the winds that move through Afghanistan. During the week, most kite flying takes place on Fridays when people are off from work.
Unfortunately, kite flying was banned while the taliban ruled Afghanistan. The sport picked back up though after the end of the Taliban's regime.
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