LAHORE, Pakistan, (Reuters Life!) – A ban on a  decades-old and colorful tradition of kite-flying has riled  many Pakistanis, but authorities say the sport has killed  people and encourages “immoral” celebrations.

The annual kite-flying festival of Basant, which marks the  start of spring in eastern Punjab, involves aerial duels in  which participants try to bring down each other’s kites using  string coated in a sticky paste of ground-up glass or metal.

Women dress in their most brilliant colors for what’s  become a major festival drawing thousands of celebrants to  Lahore as well as multinational companies that rent rooftops  for clients and guests.

“It’s our culture,” said Shoaib Mehmood Naqeebi, a  shopkeeper in Lahore. “Our forefathers were celebrating it.  It’s an event where we share happiness with family and friends.  It’s fun. It’s harmless.”

But Pakistan’s Supreme Court banned kite-flying nationwide  in 2005 in response to an outcry over injuries and deaths  caused every year by the glass-coated string. The court added  that the ban could be lifted for a limited period if a city  requests it.

But last month, the Lahore High Court turned down a request  for lifting the ban for the Basant festival.