'Teery Ya Teyara': 600 kites paint the sky in Lebanon's south beyond troubles and technology

Sticks, thread, and paper are among the basic elements for making a kite.

This game is simple, but it leads to flying towards the sky, taking you from the world of reality and its crises to the world of dreams, nature, and freedom.

This enjoyable scene to watch is in one of the squares in the southern town of Zrarieh. More than 600 kites ready gathered dozens of families, young and old, as part of an annual kite festival.

The song "Teery Ya Teyara" (Fly, O airplane, fly) accompanied children on the journey of playing with kites. More than 800 people participated in this activity, returning temporarily to the "time of childhood."

Technology and modernity disappeared, along with phones, and only kites took over the sky. 

It was closer to the dream of a forgotten childhood in a wide square in the southern town of Zrarieh. 

Adults and children gathered; everyone longed for the "old" childhood, and parents wanted to distract their children from phones, which prevented them from playing outdoors naturally.

The Saiid Asaad Fakhri Center for Cultural Development succeeded in its activity, which it has been organizing for the sixth year in a row, bringing together the largest gathering of kites flying.

Everyone was racing to reach, receive their kites, and assemble it, with adults going before children. Each person chose their destination towards the sky, and the smile was the greatest unifier. 

No one thought about the deteriorating security situation in Ain al-Hilweh or even the difficulties of returning to school. Even the financial circumstances did not cross anyone's mind. 

The focus was on this small piece that carried everyone into an atmosphere of happiness.

In the large square close to simple dreams, a father picked up the thread of the kite, and a child ran in an attempt to lift it toward the sun.

In another corner, a mother competed with her daughters to see who could raise the kite first. The most noticeable absence here was the phone, which disappeared from the children's hands in a miraculous record.