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| Sunday, 15 September 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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National kite festival today : Riding high on the winds of glory by Jayanthi Liyanage Snowy spray was exploding into thousand stars on the sands of Galle
Face Green when he began his very first ascent into the cloudless As the cheering on the Green below reached his ears, he turned. He was not the only one. There were hundreds and hundreds of other Icaruses, following him, rising to the sun. The sheer splendour of the sight made him gasp. But it did not matter. He alone tasted the victory of reaching the deep blue skies first. Wonder what this is all about? Kites, of course. Snake kites, fish kites, bird kites, dragon kites and every other species you can conceive and dream of. Scions of amazingly diverse shapes and colours of the kite dynasty will criss cross the afternoon skies of the Galle Face Green today, when versatile and fledgling kite flyers from all over the country turn it into a carnival of kites showcasing their talent. This year's National Kite Festival is a joint effort of Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the Lion's Club, Moratuwa, with Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. as the official print media and Sirasa FM and MTV, the official electronic media. "Fly a kite" means raising the wind while stock market jargon interprets it as raising money on light and worthless bills. Kite diversity can range from large flocks of sea gulls to huge, segmented dragons and ships with as many as 19 sails. Judges score competing kites on artistic design, flying performance and the speed with which flyers launch a kite, retrieve it and expertly touch or topple another air-borne kite with it. Kite flying is an increasingly popular modern pastime and a competitive sport. In East Asia where such competitions are regular features, the kites are often elaborately designed and decorated in many forms and are equipped with whistles to emit musical sounds as the wind blows through them. In kite fighting contests, competitors use kites to attack and bring down opponent kites. You can use kites for aerial photography, or to run in the breeze with a single-string kite, or spend money on a strong stunt or power kite that will pull you along and even lift you in strong gusts. Turns, dives, straight line passes, or snap stall, axle or feather, are few of the radical manoeuvres of stunt kites which have revolutionised this pastime into a modern sporting event. You can also power kite, kite surf (with a back-up boat), kite buggy, kite sail or kite jump, a riskier form of power kiting. History cites kites as having worn many faces in a celebration of deeply diverse functions and traditions. One of the oldest known faces is that of a love-lorn Adonis in the Wei Fang province of China, the ancient "home of kites." Seng Sen, the lady love of Yang fell victim to the roving eye of the king and was seized by his soldiers to be held captive at the Royal harem. Yang burst in on the hapless soldiers on a giant hawk-shaped kite, snatched Seng Sen in his arms and soared into the skies with her. As their long raven tresses and blood red robes flowed across the heavens, on-lookers gaped in awe. The lovers were never seen again. But to this day, Wei Fang is famed for its close affinity to kites. Spring is the harbinger of kite festivities in China and world's best kite flyers swarm at the international kite festivals held in Wei Fang and Nan King. Hwang-ho kite carnival stands out for its women making merry in kite dresses and as the site where the world's smallest kite was flown - a collapsible herd of rein-deers. The world's largest kite was "Mega-Bite" flown in Cape Town Kite Festival in October 1977.
In Thailand, kites fly in a "Battle of the Sexes." On one side are the Chulas, the huge five-pointed star kites, the males, and on the other, the female Pakpaos, half the size of Chula. By entangling and pulling down many Pakpaos, Chulas try to win this eternal battle. The Makar Sankranti Festival of India, which heralds the transition of the sun into the Northern Hemisphere, is a big Kite Day in Jaipur and Ahmedabad. Kites have been instrumental in spying, sending messages, meteorological measuring, advertising and bombing. In 1752, American scientist, Benjamin Franklin sent up his famous "Storm Kite" to prove that lighting and electricity were of the same force. Till the turn of twentieth century, western armies used kites to lift military observers to spy on enemy lines. In 1903, Samuel Franklin Cody actually crossed the English Channel on a vessel towed by kites. Kites of Sri Lanka The Jaycees held Sri Lanka's first kite festival on the breezy beaches of Moratuwa-Lunawa in 1964. The smallest kite of the day, carried in a match box by a young child, flew higher and higher until it disappeared in the sky, Dayantha Fernando, a Jaycee, was quoted as saying. The day's biggest kite had to be hauled to the site in a lorry. In 1970, Ceylon Tourist Board located a new home for local kite festivities, in the unbounding expanse of Galle Face Green. Nearly 180 local and foreign kite masters stunned the Colombo sky with masterpieces in aero-dynamics when the Asian Festival of Kites cavorted on the re-greened and rejuvenated Galle Face Green just a year ago. Lanka's most beloved kite shape is the easy-to-make and easy-to-balance "snake". "If it turns kuriya (topples), fixing a big tail can turn it up. That is why we have so many snakes flying up," kite flyers enthuse. "Box Kites" are another popular variety. R.L. Brohier's tales of Colombo narrate with a relish the kite fights on Old Moor Street and New Moor Street. The high-tensed kite duals ignited by the then craze, the Pedalos or singing warriors, made by fixing a whistling reed to the kite, made such a racket that flying kites were banned in Racquet Courts. In 1962, Jeeman De Silva Weerasinghe of Waskaduwa imitated the Russian feat of sending "Laika", the canine lass, up into space. He tied his pet dog to a giant kite and let him enjoy a ride in the skies. A monkey is said to have emulated the heroics next. Fourteen-year old Clement Silva of Moratuwa has the honour of flying the country's first collapsible kite, "the Flying Hawk", at a Negombo festival. Made of cloth,, cane, aluminium and nylon thread, the bat giant with the cocky expression flapped its wings in mid-air and cost him only Rs. 30. But for those who survive on the meagre income earned through kite-making, "life just floats like a kite in the wind, until the string is cut!" Fact file What's a kite A wind-supported flying device. A rudimentary airfoil, it is simply a bamboo, wooden or other framework covered with a sail of paper, cloth or synthetic material. Kite tips To slow down a too-fast kite and make it easy to fly, add it a tail. Wind-inflated tails look great in the sky! A kite with no centre-spine is durable and crash-resistant as it has no danger of sail-tearing or breaking in a hard crash. Multiple kite packs pull harder than singles but just as easy to fly. When you select a kite, don't forget the thrill factor! Small kites can fly well, but can't change the laws of physics. Big kites pull harder, make more noise and are more exciting to fly! Kite safety Remember, kite safety is the responsibility of the flyer, not the spectator! Buzzing over heads of people may be fun but is extremely dangerous. If you want to show off your new-found kite skills, don't do it at the expense of the unconverted. Nothing stops kite fun faster than an injury! Don't fly and land close to roads. When flying on roof tops and balconies, be sure not to fall off the edge. Don't fly near airports. Make sure there are no doggie fans around when you land the kite. They are known to grab the kite and whisk it away! Source: World Wide Web |
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skies.
High above, the wind waited for him and the sun beckoned him. His crimson
sail tied a regal sash against the sky as he rode into the sun - an Icarus
with his long golden mane trailing after him.
The world's most popular kite festival in USA and other annual
festivals in Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Australia and Hongkong
never fail to draw large crowds. Bali, Indonesia, is widely known for the
Babean Fish Kite, made of bamboo and cotton with hummers on them. When
flown over rice fields, the humming kites are said to make harmony in the
rice fields and the bedroom.
