The History of Kite Running

Just about every little boy and girl has flown a kite during childhood, but kite running takes it to the next level with duels in the sky. Afghanistan's deep history of kite running is now well known in the United States, thanks to the book and subsequent 2007 movie The Kite Runner, but kite running is popular in other countries across the globe, too.

How It Works
The goal of the sport is to pull your opponent's kite out of the sky by wrapping your kite string around the other kite's string. In order to cut a kite's string you need special twine that's coated with an abrasive coating. Then once the kite is cut loose, the real battle of kite running begins. While the kite is falling from high above the city or park, everyone races to be the first to retrieve the fallen kite as his or her prize. Buildings, trees, power lines can all make the kite's path to the ground more interesting and the capture more challenging.

The Trouble with Kite Running
The sport can be dangerous as people run along after the kites gazing toward the sky, ignoring traffic and other obstacles. It has even been banned in Pakistan where kite flying was once a major part of their spring festival, Basant, due to the glass and metal coatings some used to give the string extra cutting power.  These doctored kite strings can also lead to serious cuts.

Where it's Played
Kite running is popular in many Asian countries. The history is probably most deeply routed in Afghanistan, where kite running has been a tradition for centuries. However, during the Taliban's rule, kite flying was banned.

In Japan, kite fighting uses very large kites and runners work in teams. Korean kites have a distinctive shape and an extra large spool for kite fighting. In Haiti and other Caribbean countries, kite strings aren't sharpened. Instead, razors are attached to kite tails. The United States doesn't have an indigenous kite running tradition, but you can see the kite running practices of other cultures from coast to coast.