The Basant festival, traditionally held annually in early February, is a Sufi tradition in northwestern Pakistan and the world's largest kite festival.
The kite strings are usually coated with powdered glass or strands of razor wire, and people compete to cut the strings of other kites.
The problem is that it's not only string they're cutting – low flying kites are responsible for so many deaths each year that the Pakistani government has repeatedly tried to enforce a ban on the festival.
In 2009 alone eleven people were killed. Bikers face the greatest danger, although the metal kite strings also commonly slice through power lines, electrocuting the kite holder.
