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Basant (festival)

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Basant
Official nameBasant Panchami
Observed byPunjabis
Liturgical colorYellow
ObservancesKite flying. Eating sweet dishes. Decorating homes with yellow flowers.
DateMagha Shukla Panchami
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Basant is a spring time kite flying event during the Basant Panchami festival in the Punjab.[1] According to the Punjabi calendar it is held on the fifth day of lunar month of Magha (in late January or early February) marking the start of spring.

Central/Majha Punjab

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See also: Majha
Maharaja Ranjit Singh holding court outside near the Golden Temple in Amritsar with everyone dressed in Basant (yellow)
Queen of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 'Moran Sarkar

Amritsar, Lahore, and Kasur are the traditional areas where kite flying festivals are held.[2] A popular Basant Mela is held in Lahore (see Festivals of Lahore). However, the festival has also been traditionally celebrated in areas such as Sialkot, Gujranwala and Gurdaspur.

Historically, Maharaja Ranjit Singh held an annual Basant fair and introduced kite flying as a regular feature of the fairs held during the 19th [3] century which included holding fairs at Sufi shrines.[4] Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his queen Moran would dress in yellow and fly kites on Basant.[5] The association of kite flying with Basant soon became a Punjabi tradition with the centre in Lahore which remains the regional hub of the festival throughout the Punjab region.[6] Indeed, Maharaja Ranjit Singh held a darbar or court in Lahore on Basant which lasted ten days. During this time soldiers would dress in yellow and show their military prowess.[7] Other traditions of the Basant in Lahore included women swaying on swings and singing.[8]

Malwa, Punjab, India

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The festival of Basant is celebrated across Malwa, Punjab[9] where people organize gatherings to fly kites. In areas such as Firozpur, children generally fly kites to mark the auspicious occasion. A large fair is organised on the day of Basant Panchmi in the Shiva temple of Bansari and Gudri which is located in Dhuri, Sangrur district. The fair includes swings, rides and food.[10]

Punjab, Pakistan

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Basant kite
Festival in Pakistan

In North India, and in the Punjab province of Pakistan, Basant is considered to be a seasonal festival and is celebrated as a spring festival of kites.[11] The festival marks the commencement of the spring season. In the Punjab region (including the Punjab province of Pakistan), Basant Panchami has been a long established tradition of flying kites[12] and holding fairs. This includes the Pothohar Plateau where Basant is celebrated in Ralwalpindi, Pakistan with the flying of kites.[13] Despite the ban on flying kites, kite enthusiasts still continue to celebrate the festival. According to The Express Tribune "in spite of a ban, kites of all sorts, spindles, twines are available freely in the old city area" of Rawalpindi in 2020.[14] People also light fireworks and play loud music.[15]

Ban

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While the date of Basant Panchami is set by a traditional Hindu calendar, the date of the Basant kite festival in Lahore, Pakistan until 2007 was determined by the authorities, always on a Sunday and usually at the end of February or the beginning of March. In 2007, the festival was banned, primarily because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries.[16] These had various causes related to the festival, including:

  • Bullets and tracer bullets fired during celebratory gunfire
  • Dangerous types of kite strings, such as metal wire, or strings coated in ground glass or metal filings
  • Electrocutions caused by flying metal wire kites near power lines
  • Electrocutions caused by people touching power lines while trying to retrieve kites
  • Falls from rooftops related to flying or trying to retrieve kites

Another reason cited for the ban was the cost to the electricity power transmission system related to

  • Shortcircuits from metal kite wires touching power lines
  • Costs incurred from switching off the power grid to prevent short circuits

It has been widely reported in Pakistan since 2017[17] that the ban will be lifted, however as of 2024 this has not happened.[18] In 2004, Nawa-i-Waqt, a Pakistani daily opposed Basant Panchami celebrations in Pakistan, arguing that the festival celebrated Haqiqat Rai's insult of Muhammad.[19] One major reason for the ban; a lawyer from Lahore challenged the Basant in the Lahore High Court on religious grounds. To persuade the court, the lawyer asserted that Basant was a solely Hindu celebration, and he also mentioned the loss of life and electronic goods as a result of the Basant. As a result, Basant was outlawed in the city in 2005. [20]

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  • Yellow outfits are worn on Basant (Rakhi Vijan)
    Yellow outfits are worn on Basant (Rakhi Vijan)
  • Punjabi Mustard Flowers
    Punjabi Mustard Flowers
  • Grain saffron rice
    Grain saffron rice
  • Gajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding)
    Gajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding)
  • Laddoo
    Laddoo

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chapter iii". Punjabrevenue.nic.in. 1930. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  2. ^ Kaul, Suvir (2001). The Partitions of Memory: The Afterlife of the Division of India. Indiana University Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-253-21566-8.
  3. ^ Mirepoix, Camille (1967). Now Pakistan. Grenich. p. 142.
  4. ^ Ansari, Shahab (26 March 2011) The News Festival of Lights kicks off
  5. ^ Hasan, Masudul. Unique Women of the World: Being Unique Stories of the Sidelights of the Lives, Loves, and Mysteries of Famous Women of All Times, All the World Over p. 96
  6. ^ Desai, Nikita (9 June 2010). A Different Freedom: Kite Flying in Western India; Culture and Tradition. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4438-2310-4.
  7. ^ The Sikh Courier International, Volumes 33-37
  8. ^ Rumi, Raza (10.03.2009) The history of Basant. Lahore Nama
  9. ^ Deep, Rajay (19 January 2010). "Kite fliers ready to soar on Basant Panchami". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  10. ^ Basant Mela 2015
  11. ^ The Sikh World: An Encyclopedia Survey of Sikh Religion and Culture: Ramesh Chander Dogra and Urmila Dogra; ISBN 81-7476-443-7
  12. ^ Punjabiat: The Cultural Heritage and Ethos of the People of Punjab: Jasbir Singh Khurana
  13. ^ Aamir Yasin and Mohammad Asghar (14.03.2015) Pindi says ‘Bo Kata’ to kite-flying ban [1]
  14. ^ The Express Tribune (08.02.2020)Kite fliers flout ban
  15. ^ Muhammad Irfan Urdupoint (22.02.2020) Kite Flying, Aerial Firing Were Order Of Day During Basant, Police Remain Silent Spectator.[2]
  16. ^ "Kite makers fret over Basant decision". 6 February 2011.
  17. ^ DND.com (02.01.2017) Basant to be celebrated in Lahore after security clearance: Minister [3]
  18. ^ PT (07.02.2017) Punjab govt says ‘NO’ to Basant festival
  19. ^ "EDITORIAL: Can't we have a nice time?". Daily Times. 16 February 2004. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  20. ^ Ali, Muhammad Kashif. 2022. "THE LOST FESTIVALS OF THE BRITISH LAHORE: A HISTORICAL SURVEY." Ancient Punjab 10 (1): 52-63


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