Even for the religious, it is a time to rejoice, for it marks the movement of the sun into the Northern Hemisphere. The temples are thronged with visitors and alms are distributed freely. Kite flying starts at dawn and continues without a pause throughout the day. Friends, neighbours and total strangers' battle one another for supremacy and cries of triumph rend the air when someone cuts the line of a rival. A tremendous variety of kites is seen and the connoisseur can choose precisely what he wants.
Experts specially prepare even the lines with which the kites are flown before the great day.
So sharp are these lines that, carelessly used, they can cut a finger. The excitement does not end with nightfall, which is the time for illuminated box kites, often in a series strung on one line, to be launched into the sky. The enthusiasm generated by the festival is such that local kite-flying competitions used to be held in all the major cities. Today, an International Kite Festival is held at Ahmedabad, which draws visitors from all over the world. This gives the people of Ahmedabad the change to see the unusual kites brought by the visitors some of which are truly works of art.