Thousands of kite enthusiasts are once again preparing to gather on the rooftops of Ahmedabad, the largest city of India’s western state Gujarat, for the annual International Kite Festival on January 14. Celebrating the end of winter, the fest coincides with Uttarayan, or Makar Sankranti, a major event in Gujarat marking the movement of the sun into the northern hemisphere. Watch this 2010 YouTube video to see how ornate some of the kites are. The kite-flying, where the objective is to ‘cut down’ rival kites, usually begins at dawn and continues throughout the day. Most of the kites are made especially for the occasion, sporting special strings coated with a mixture of glass and glue for maximum sharpness. While the International Kite Festival is held in Ahmedabad, kite-flying takes place in cities across the state.