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The festival of Bassant is celebrated
just at the onset of spring, usually
in the mid February. One of the very
popular Lahore festivals, it is fast
becoming a rage in many parts of Pakistan.
For some, Bassant is also the spring
festival of Lahore comprising of ecstasy,
entertainment and popular shows. It
is evident from the way Bassant is
celebrated that in spite of being
the only festival with no links with
the Islamic culture it still is very
popular in this part of the world.
The build up to celebration of Bassant
needs a special mention. Local people
from Lahore are known to make suitable
preparations for this mega event before
its arrival. The main preparation
on Bassant celebrations involves collecting
kites of various shapes and colors
together with colorful clothing items.
This festival is marked with participation
of people from all parts of Pakistan
irrespective of their age and background.
During this time, kites are known
to dominate the sky and with music
being played all around, the ambience
is just a terrific one.
The main trait characterizing Bassant
celebration is kite flying. Hindus
at this festival fly kites just for
sheer enjoyment while Muslims enjoy
and participate as vigorously as their
Hindu counterparts. Now days, a kite
flying competition is also organized
in Lahore, on the eve of Bassant celebrations.
To mark the occasion, people also
visit the shrine of Saint Madho Lal
and pray their tributes.
Bassant festival is celebrated with
a lot of enthusiasm and fanfare in
Lahore. On the eve of Bassant, people
are seen flying kites from the rooftops
of buildings and houses. All the rest
houses, hotels, lodges are full up
with clients during this time of the
year. The festival of Bassant has
become so popular in Lahore that even
some five star hotels organize this
festival on their roof top to cash
in on the popularity of Bassant. This
is however done by them mainly to
attract and entertain foreign guests.
In several parts of Lahore, special
Music concerts are also organized
to celebrate Bassant.
However, the people of Lahore often
get too involved about Bassant. This
at times leads to minor law and order
problem for the local administration.
A very popular mode of kite flying
practiced on the eve of this festival,
is the use of metal threads. This
act can also prove fatal, especially
when the metal thread touches the
live wires of the electric posts and
circuits.
Looking for more information on other
important celebrations in Pakistan?
If yes, then make it a point to browse
through the pages of .
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