Mangaluru: Low wind speed, light showers dampen spirit of kite festival at Tannirbavi beach
Mangaluru: Participants on the second day of the 8th Mangaluru International Kite Festival at Tannirbavi beach was greatly disappointed, as the unexpected change in weather on Sunday afternoon played spoilsport.
Although the sky was clear and the wind was favourable at the venue from the inaugural session on Saturday till Sunday afternoon, the weather started changing past 3 pm. Clouds started covering the sky and there were also light showers, forcing the participants to withdraw.
Daniel, a member of the French kite flying team, said that he had participated in kite festivals in various countries, including India, and expressed his delight at his experience in Mangaluru. “I really liked the atmosphere and hospitality in Mangaluru. The wind speed was good on the first day, but this evening, the wind speed was affected by the cloudy weather. The wind speed required for kite-flying, which is 10 to 14 kmph, was not there at the venue,” he explained on Sunday.
He added that, the watchers too enjoyed being a part of the kite festival in spite of the hurdles due to weather change.
The kite festival was organized on Saturday and Sunday by Team Mangaluru, an amateur kite-fliers’ group in coordination with ONGC-MRPL as a part of the ‘Karavali Utsava’. Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao inaugurated the event at the Tannirbavi beach on Saturday.
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Ramadan, Lent coincide this year, happens once in three decades: How it happens, when it will occur
This year, Ramadan and Lent are reportedly being observed during the same period, a calendar overlap that happens only once in roughly 30 to 33 years.
According to a post by ‘That Dubai Page’ on Instagram both are important periods of fasting in Islam and Christianity respectively, but they follow different calendars, which is why their dates usually do not align.
What is Lent?
Lent is a 40-day period in the Christian liturgical calendar observed before Easter.
It is marked by fasting, prayer, repentance and self-examination.
The duration of 40 days reflects the time Jesus is believed to have fasted in the wilderness. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before Easter Sunday, and the feast mass is celebrated on Saturday.
The exact dates change every year because they are linked to Easter, which is calculated based on the Christian liturgical calendar.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer and spiritual discipline. From dawn to sunset each day, adult and able-bodied Muslims abstain from food and drink. The fast is broken at sunset.
Unlike Lent, Ramadan does not follow the Gregorian calendar.
According to admiddleeast.com , Ramadan depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon, known as the hilāl, which signals the start of the new lunar month.
Religious committees in many Muslim-majority countries meet after sunset on the 29th day of the preceding month, Sha‘ban, to look for the moon.
If it is sighted, Ramadan begins the next day. If not, Sha‘ban is completed as a 30-day month and Ramadan starts after that.
While Saudi Arabias announcement is widely followed, each country makes its own official declaration.
Why dont they always overlap?
The Islamic lunar calendar has around 354 days, which is about 10 to 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.
Because of this difference, Ramadan shifts earlier by about 10 or 11 days each year. Over time, it moves through all seasons.
Lent, on the other hand, is tied to Easter and the Christian liturgical calendar. Since the two religious observances are based on different systems for calculating dates, they rarely fall at the same time.
How often does the overlap happen?
The overlap happens in cycles of approximately 30 to 33 years. When it happens, Ramadan and Lent may coincide for a few consecutive years. After that, they do not align again for decades.
Following the current cycle, major overlaps are not expected again until the 2050s.
