On 14 Jan of every year the whole of Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra get submerged in celebrating a festival which is one of a kind in the world. All across India 14 Jan is celebrated as “makar-sakranti” which is celebrated the day when the sun starts to travel northwards marking the decline of winter. The days become longer, the skies clearer and the breeze cooler.
Though Gujarat boast of more than 2000 festivals but this festival stands out, trespassing religions and now even borders. It is the day when the skies in Gujarat are filled with colorful kites of all shapes and sizes. People from all the backgrounds irrespective of Geography, caste and creed come together and celebrate it.
International visitors have come from countless countries, including Japan, Italy, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, France, China, and many more.
As Rajul Doshi points out : “This is one day when everybody forgets their worries and other jobs, comes out on their terrace and make the most of the day.”
Historically Uttarayan has had been a part of Gujarat’s identity since centuries and recent efforts by the Gujarat govt in showcasing it is only adding to its charm and glory. The way the festival is being celebrated has also come long way.
Dhawal Shah points it out well “Modernization in terms of the Chinese kites n tread (manjha) seems to have become a norm now.” The festival has gained so much importance that manufacturing of Kites has become a serious business, additionally since the Gujarat Govts’ initiative to make it International Kite Festival inviting people across the globe, its growth outside the state of Gujarat is rapidly increasing and in future course of time it would be not limited to a region.
- Kites at the market at Dilli Diwaraja – in Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat – which is open 24 hours a day leading up to the Uttarayan Kite Festival in mid January every year. by Meena Kadri
Dhawal also points out that “it should be made more popular among youth in India for which aggressive marketing is required so that it could be as grand as Christmas itself and as it reflects traditional and cultural aspects of Gujarat. It should be preserved and maintained to sustain Gujarati culture.”
The food is as special as the festival, families have undhayu, jalebi fafda bhajiya dhokla and hot masala milk which are served especially for the day.
The excitement of this festival is not just in the day. The nights see the arrival of the illuminated box kites, often in a series strung on one line, to be launched into the sky. Known as tukkals, these kites add a touch of splendor to the dark sky. It is a festival truly to watch out for those interested in “Incredible India”.
INQUISITION 
Please play fair and credit the source of your images! I took 2 of the images here and have a CC license which allows you to freely use them if you provide due credit.
I am sorry I found them on Google.. But since you have commented now I shall write your name in its descriptions. Kindly help me identify the images taken by you.
Thanks – the top image is mine too. My license is not a copyright but copyleft license – worth reading up on the difference for all bloggers. The best way to credit is to make the image-makers name an active link back to the original image (in this case on Flickr) Keen to know where you site found these on via Google?
this was on http://Hinduism.about.com and on http://a2zindiannews.com .There is another one on facebook page on the Uttarayan Kites festival. you can check. I got it from http://Hinduism.about.com
Are you talking about here: http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/ig/Kite-Festival-of-Gujarat/ The images are clearly attributed to me. Not advisable to just grab the images and ignore credits ;^) Looking forward to your updates on this post. Happy blogging.
🙂 Like I said sorry and next time I will make sure to give individuals due credit. Hope I have found a reader in the process.
Actually still waiting for you to credit the top image which is mine also. Best that, rather than a copyright symbol, you create a link on my name back to original images which you can find here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/meanestindian/sets/72157594478128903/ Otherwise good bloggers may repost and credit the images to you – and bad bloggers will grab thinking that it’s ok because the image has no credit. Cheers.
I think I have made the required changes and if you could see the name given to the image very well points the copyright to you plus the link redirects to the profile that you have give.
Sorry – didn’t know you had updated the image links. Most sites add credit text and link the text but you have at least changed the image links so that they don’t point to your own site anymore. Did you see my comments above that my images are *not* governed by copyright? They are licensed by Creative Commons (copyleft). Can you please remove the copyright symbol as it’s entirely at odds with my outlook.