The kites are built in a traditional Vietnamese style, known as dieu sao, with eight ovoid wings attached, plus five bamboo flutes in graduated sizes, which are mounted on top and make a pleasing drone when the kite is flying. The faster the kite swoops, the more magical the sound of the flutes is.
Kits are estimated to be 2,000 years old, and are popular across most
Asian countries, where kite flying is seen as a sport, hobby and a
religious custom. In Indonesia for example, kites are used for sport
and also to catch fish.
Children's kites are often small, simple and covered with paper, while adults'
kites may be more complex, cloth-covered, and feature one or more wind flutes
that play melodies as the kites fly.
A typical adult's kite has four
parts: the body, the steering string, the flying string and flutes. The frame is
made of the smooth outer bamboo stalk and is well polished. Kite-makers shape
bamboo straps into a crescent two to three metres long and one metre wide. After
that, they cover the frame with pieces of cotton cloth or carefully glued paper.
If one half of the kite is heavier than the other, the steering string will help
balance it. This string also serves lo direct flight and protect the kite wings
from breaking if the wind is too strong. The flying string is also made of
bamboo and can be as long as 100m to 150m. Young bamboo straps the size of
chopsticks are tied together, then boiled in water or even in traditional
Chinese medicine and salt so that the string becomes soft and
flexible.
Kites not only attract people by their shapes and colours but
also by their flutes. Flutes of different sizes and materials can make the sound
of birds, car horns, gongs or music. The mouth of the flute must be skillfully
carved so that it can properly receive the wind and create the desired
sound.
Today, villagers build more sophisticated kites in the shape of phoenixes,
butterflies and dragons. They replace thick bamboo strings with thinner bamboo
or plastic rope. Modern kites are very light and cost little since the materials
to make them are readily available.
People often fly kites in the late
afternoon as the sun begins to set. Normally, two people fly one kite. One
person holds the flying string while the other takes the kite and runs into the
wind until the wind lifts the kite.
The two may keep the kite high in the
sky from day to day, even from summer to autumn.
Every year, kite-flying
competitions take place in many northern and central provinces. The rules vary
from place to place. In general, the most beautiful kite with the most
interesting flute melodies wins. However, Quang Yen Townlet (Quang Ninh
Province) holds a kite-fighting competition: regardless of design, kites that
hit or break other kites win.
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