If one asks any Guyanese what comes to mind when they think of Easter, the answer is likely to be kite flying. While the tradition of kite flying is well known to everyone, fewer people may know that Guyana is the only country in the world that celebrates Easter by flying kites.
In the Christian faith, Easter marks the end of Lent – a 40 day period of fasting, praying, and self-deprivation. Easter is generally regarded as beginning on Good Friday and ending on Easter Sunday. According to the faith, Jesus, the son of God, died so that mankind could be forgiven of sin. His death is remembered on Good Friday. Christians believe that Jesus arose from the dead on the third day – Easter Sunday. However, because Sunday is a non-working day in Guyana, the holiday goes over to Monday – the day dominated by kite flying. And although Christians comprise some 57 percent of Guyanese, people of all religions engage in the activity.
Historians are not certain about how the kite flying tradition started in Guyana. We know, though, that the kite was invented in China. Early kites were called muyuan by the Chinese. Though kites were used mainly for military purposes: spying on enemies, dropping propaganda leaflets, and so on.
We know, too, that the first Chinese came to Guyana in the mid 1800s. Some historians say that kite flying in Guyana started when Chinese labourers flew kites to celebrate spring, which coincides with Easter. The European plantation owners on which the Chinese laboured did not like that; they told the Chinese that they should be in church at Easter instead of outdoors flying kites. But the Chinese were smart; they told their European masters that the kites represent Jesus’ resurrection from death. Experts believe that this is most likely the way that the kite flying tradition began in Guyana.
It is quite interesting that kite flying is an activity that happens all over the world. However, only in Guyana is it associated with the Easter season. Equally interesting is the fact that kites are not flown in Guyana at any other time of the year.
While there are many other traditions of which Guyanese may be proud, that of Easter kite flying is exclusively our own.
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