Thousands of kites— made of red, green, blue, purple and other vibrant colours of papers— yesterday danced all over the sky in old Dhaka with thousands of people’s minds soaring up with dancing kites.
Regardless the age, gender and religion, countless people yesterday poured on every ally, climbed up on every roof to celebrate the Sakrain.
Sakrain is a festival of flying kites. On the day people soar kites; play music as loud as they want to; wear colourful dresses; visit neighbours and relatives; eat sweets and various types of handmade cakes such as Culi, Vapa and Vapapuli.
The foggy sky, the biting cold nothing could resist people to lough out loudly, to greet each other, to make fun out of ecstasy of the festivity this year.
Sounds of music were coming from alleys, from rooftops and from the every corner of the old city.
Every year, on the first day of Magh, the 10th month of Bangla Calendar, the Hindu community of Old Dhaka observed the daylong Sakrain festival.
While asked about the origin of Sakrain festival, pastor of Shakaribazar Kali Temple Mama Sadhu (Babul) said the festival has been observed from the time remember.
Though Sakrain is a festival related to the Hindu community, nowadays, it has achieved a non-communal celebration among people. Not only that, the Sakrain is no more the festival for the dwellers of old Dhaka as thousands of people from different parts of the capital gather in Old Dhaka to celebrate the day.
The festivity that started in the morning continued until the midnight as fireworks lights the night.
Yesterday the big crowd was gathered at Babubazar-Postogola Bridge as the bridge has a ground from where people could fly kites easily.
Bishnu Chowdhury, an engineer, who was at the bridge with a kite and spool, said he enjoy the festival very much as the kite flying day reminds him of his childhood memories.
There were many more persons like Bishnu Chowdhury, who came to fly Kites.
To supply them countless kites there were hundreds of shops where traders made bonanza by selling spool and kites on the day.
The kite’s price were between Tk5 to Tk2500, and the spool’s price were Tk100 to Tk1800.
