A traditional Thia kite is either a Chula or a Pakpao. Both kites are made from thinly cut bamboo for the frame and a tissue or rice paper covering making them quite fragile but very flexible. The Chula is the male kite and the Pakpao is the female kite. The kites are different in shape, the Chula is five pointed while the Pakpao in diamond shaped.
Each year there is a national competition in Bangkok during which contestants flying a Chula have to try and snag their opponents Pakpao kites. The male kite has bamboo spurs to assist in the process while the highly manoeuvrable female kite has a long loop of thread attached which is used to capture the male kite.
The kite in today's photograph, a Chula, was given to me by my Thai partners father. He was a skilled kite maker and taught me how to fly the Chula which is not as easy as you might think!
Kite flying in Thailand dates back many centuries and kites have even been used in ancient Khmer battles to drop explosives on the enemy.
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Equipment: Canon EOS 1000D 55mm Lens
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3 comments:
It's a beautiful one! I always loved going to Sanam Luang in Bkk for the Kite festival; hundreds of people go there, it's great:)
Hi Niamh I haven't been to the festival but I bet its very colourful.
When I was young, I used to fly my kite quite a bit. Interesting and fun.
Bamboo materials are what made the kite so light and cultural.
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