LAHORE, Feb 4: Pakistan’s Punjab Government has announced public holidays for February 6 and 7 to celebrate the iconic Basant festival, which is being observed after two decades.
A notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday by the Punjab Government, headed by Maryam Nawaz.
“Punjab will enjoy a long weekend with Kashmir Day on February 5, a provincial Basant holiday on the 6th, followed by Saturday and Sunday,” Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said on X. “We hope people across Punjab take this time to relax, recharge, and make the most of the break”.
Talking to the media, Maryam Nawaz said Basant will revive the “soft image” of Pakistan, and she is determined to revive Punjab’s culture.
The CM said the tradition of Basant went back to 1250, and the festival marked the arrival of spring.Â
“Its colour is yellow, as yellow symbolises life returning to land. This is life returning to Punjab,” she said and added she was happy to see citizens’ enthusiastic response to the festival.
“The response to the Basant pilot project has exceeded expectations and that other cities will be reviewed after assessing its success. Basant has boosted economic activity worth billions of rupees, benefiting kite manufacturers, hotels and restaurants,” she said and added the Basant initiative has not only given happiness to the people of Punjab, especially Lahore, but also generated huge financial activity benefiting the people connected with 12 industries of the province.
So far, the people have bought kites and string worth over PKR 500 million, the government said.Â
Basant Panchami, with ‘panchami’ meaning the fifth day of the lunar month Magh, is a celebration of future crop prosperity, spring, and good luck.
The kite-flying festival was banned in 2005 in Punjab because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire.
The government lifted the ban on kite flying last December and allowed the celebration of Basant with strict regulations.
Under the new Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Ordinance 2025, the manufacturing of only thread-based kite strings will be allowed, and the use of metallic, chemical-coated, or sharp strings is strictly banned. *PTI)
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