Uttarayan, on 14 January, is the day the Sun turns north, and in Gujarat it means one thing: kites. From before dawn until after dark whole families are on the terrace, the sky is crowded with paper diamonds, and every cut line is greeted with a shout of "Kai po che!". Lunch is undhiyu and jalebi, eaten standing up. The next day, Vasi Uttarayan, it is done all over again.
The story
The kite came to Gujarat with the courts of its sultans and nawabs and became everybody's. In the weeks before, the lanes of Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara are strung with thread being coated in glass powder and rice paste, the manja, in every colour.
It remains a day of merit as well. Before the kites go up, sesame and jaggery are given away, and fodder is fed to cows in the name of the day.
કાઈ પો છે!
I have cut it!
The shout when a rival kite is cut loose
How the day goes
- Patang and firkiThe kite and the spool. One person flies, a second holds the reel, and the object is to cut every other kite in range.
- Undhiyu and jalebiA winter stew of green beans, purple yam and fenugreek dumplings cooked upside down in a pot, with hot jalebi; also chikki of sesame and peanuts.
- TukkalAfter dark, paper lanterns are sent up on the kite strings, and the sky fills with points of light.
- DaanTil, gur and grain are given, and cows are fed green fodder and ghughri.
- Bird rescueVolunteers and vets run camps for birds cut by kite string; many fliers now stop at dawn and dusk when birds are on the wing.
Why this date
Uttarayan is the day the Sun enters sidereal Makar: 14 January in most years. When the Sun crosses after sunset, the religious observance is given on the next day, as shown here; the kites go up on the 14th regardless.
Uttarayan in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tuesday | |
| 2026 | Wednesday | |
| 2027 | Friday | |
| 2028 | Saturday | |
| 2029 | Sunday | |
| 2030 | Monday |
More Gujarati festivals
25 JanuaryRatha Saptamiરથ સપ્તમી
15 FebruaryMaha Shivaratriમહાશિવરાત્રી
4 MarchHoli and Dhuletiહોળી · ધુળેટી
19 MarchChaitra Navratriચૈત્રી નવરાત્રી
26 MarchRam Navamiરામ નવમી
2 AprilHanuman Jayantiહનુમાન જયંતી
Where to see Uttarayan
In Gujarat
- The pols of old AhmedabadGujaratThe rooftops of the walled city, packed house against house, are the best seats in the country.
- Sabarmati Riverfront, AhmedabadGujaratThe International Kite Festival, with fliers from dozens of countries, in the week before.
- SuratGujaratFamous for its manja; the thread-makers of the city supply half of western India.
- VadodaraGujaratThe old city round Mandvi gate flies as hard as Ahmedabad.
Across India
- JaipurRajasthanThe other great kite city, on the same day.
- PrayagrajUttar PradeshThe Magh Mela at the Sangam begins its main bathing days.
- MaduraiTamil NaduThe same solar turn is Pongal in the south.