Kite Fighting in Afghanistan Kite Fighting Culture Kite

Kite Fighting in Afghanistan

Kite Fighting Culture • Kite fighting is an important part of Afghan cuture. Kite symbolizes fighting, and for many it is the only entertainment they have. • There are small tournaments among communites, but there is no national association. • Only men and boys are able to do kite fighting. • Men and boys of all social and ethnic groups compete freely. • Kite fighting is a symbolic freedom to escape from hardships wihin their country. • From 1996 to 2004 kite fighting was banned by the Taliban government for being “unislamic”.

The Afghan Kites • They are usually diamond shaped from 25 to 30 cm. Wing span is from 1 to 1. 5 meters. • Prices range from 150 to 600 CLP. The bigger more expensive kites are for tourists. • The wire is called “tar” and it takes hours to complete. It is coated with “shisha”, a mold to coat the wire with grounded glass. • “Charkha” is the drum to wrap around the wire. • While other neighboring regions (like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) tend to have their kite fabricated with synthetic fibers, artisan kite-makers in Kabul generally use cotton, bamboo, and thin sheets of paper to make kites by hand.

“If the kite was the gun, then tar, the glass-coated cutting line, was the bullet in the chamber. ” - Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner)

The “jang” (fight) • It depends on the quality of the wire. • It depends on the talent of the kite flyer. • Teams of two: one holding the drum, and the other flying the kite. • There are no rules, only customs of respect. The only objective i to cut the wire of the opponent. • Once the wire is cut and the kite flies away, the kite runners chase after the kite and anticapate its fall.