In Afghan culture everything is about fighting.” Another man says that no matter how many times he gets cut by a kite string, he will continue to go back to it, because kite-fighting “has a taste,” and once he felt the taste, he can’t stop coming back for more.ĭuring the Taliban regime, kite-fighting was banned by the Taliban as they saw it as irreligious. Regarding the kite-fighting culture one man observed, “In the United States, I think people try to avoid conflict. That last kite to fall is considered good luck. The poor boys who can’t buy their own kites are usually the ones sprinting after the fallen kites they are the kite runners. However, the kite that was destroyed last is the one that is considered good luck. When the last two kites are left, the bearer of the kite that cuts the other kite’s string and stays up the last, is declared the winner. Kite fighting is fought with teams of two, one person tweaking the string and working the kite, while the other person handles the spool. Many people have been injured and/or killed with the strings. The strings of kites are coated with a mixture of glue and crushed glass to turn it into a blade. The objective of kite-fighting is to cut the string of another kite with one’s own kite, and send the other kite falling to the ground. If someone is seen flying a kite alone, others will see it as an invitation to a kite-fighting challenge. To them, the sole reason to own a kite is to fight with it. In Afghanistan, kite-fighting isn’t a fun game that is played in leisure time in parks it is a war of sorts. Flying a kite in Afghanistan and flying one here in the United Sates are two completely different things. After the Friday prayer, many Afghan men and boys start kite-fighting. The big day for kite-fighting is Friday, the Muslim day of prayer. Kite-fighting is a favorite pastime for the men and boys of Afghanistan.
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