A vendor sells handcrafted kites at a kite festival held in Qarga locality outside the capital city Kabul, Afghanistan, April 16, 2026. TO GO WITH "Feature: Kite flying, a revived cultural heritage in Afghanistan" (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Impatiently waiting for his turn to run his colorful kite on a ground in Qarga locality outside the capital city Kabul, Mohammad Mahfoz Haroni whispered with emotion that since childhood he loves kite flying the kite almost every day.

Accompanied by his youngest son, a student of Kabul University, the 65-year-old said that he wants his children to follow suit to become good kite flyers as part of efforts to preserve the culture.

"Kite flying is a cultural heritage of the people of Afghanistan. Even when I was a child my father took me out to play with kite," the aged man recalled.

According to Haroni, kite running as a culture has been popular among Afghans for hundreds of years and would flourish again in the years ahead.

Haroni said kite flying conveys a message of peace. It helps foster social stability and harmony. People must uphold and safeguard lasting, viable peace, so that young people can thrive and live in a peaceful society, he said.

Organized by Afghan company Khalid Lumar, a kite flying festival was held on Wednesday, drawing crowds to participate.

"The aim of the festival is to support and flourish the kite flying culture, to make the people happy. As a national culture, we have to help promote it," an organizer of the festival, Khawaja Nawed, told Xinhua.

Organizers of the festival provide kites, thread and accessories necessary for kite flyers free of charge at the festival, where more than 10,000 people are expected to attend and compete, according to Nawed.

"The kite is a small object, but it is full of love, emotion and energy. It is a legacy of our ancestors and we enjoy ourselves when playing," a kite flyer and seller Habibullah Rahimi said. Endite

People fly a kite in Qarga locality outside the capital city Kabul, Afghanistan, April 16, 2026. TO GO WITH "Feature: Kite flying, a revived cultural heritage in Afghanistan" (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Kites are seen at a kite festival held in Qarga locality outside the capital city Kabul, Afghanistan, April 16, 2026. TO GO WITH "Feature: Kite flying, a revived cultural heritage in Afghanistan" (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)