Kites are one of the most simple yet graceful artefacts to have been invented to date. As they take flight, their majestic movement is enough to captivate the most unassuming person’s attention. The former is exactly what happened in Cha Am on the last weekend of last month. The 28th and the 29th of March, we saw the celebration of one of Cha Am’s most beautiful activities, as the Cha Am Kite Festival got on its way at the beach.
The first thing one noticed upon entering the atmosphere, was the large display board placed outside, which recounted the story of the kite as we know it. It told us that kites were first invented around two thousand years ago in ancient China. Some even dispute that fact alleging that they were already in use a millennium before Christ. Kites are extremely popular in Thailand, especially so since the day the monarchy sought an interest in them in the 13th century. King Rama Five was the first one to organize a kite tournament that he held annually at the palace grounds, allowing the populace to come and showcase the beauty of their models. King Rama Six took it a step further and founded an association of kites.
The festival got on its way with a flourishing display of kites of all types and sizes. They were gradually lifted up and populated the stretch of sand where the avid onlookers were camping out to witness the festivities begin. There, tents of all kinds were erected, in which one could go and partake in the different activities. One of the most popular ones was the Kite Workshop in which people could go and make their own kite. In this corner lay a number of staff that explained the different types of kites that could be made and provided the tools with which to confection them. The activity was free of charge too, something that attracted many bystanders. With a combination of A4 paper, wooden sticks, ropes, decorations, scissors, cutters, tape, and hole punchers, each individual had the opportunity to make their own model and give it flight amongst the rest of the giant entries. If you were not so fond of making it yourself, there were a variety for sale too, ranging from classic rhomboids to those shaped in the “Angry Birds” parameters.
If interested, one could look at the different types of kites that exist in Thailand, as all regions have special characteristic when it comes to making their models: in the north of the country, the most popular one is the Song Hong kite. In the central part, it is the Chula, the Pak Pao, the E Phraet, the snake kite and the peacock, whilst the east and the south share the Ilum, Dui Dui and Hang kites. The most common ones at the festival were the snake kite, the Chula kite and the Pak Pao kite.
All models had stunningly unique characteristics and represented a number of nations, from Indonesia and Malaysia to Taiwan and of course, Thailand. The depiction of water animals was the most prominent, with distinctive figures of cat fish, sharks, squids, octopi, eels and one that was hard to miss: a humongous whale measuring ten metres in length and three in height. As this giant took to the skies, jaws began dropping throughout. However, water dwellers were not the only ones made into kites; animals such as the bear, the crocodile or the centipede were present too.
As a whole, the Cha Am Kite Festival was a marvelous celebration, well deserving of a lookout. The atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful and the scenery was priceless, something that gave the entire event a very joyful touch. If you missed it, it is worth noting down on the calendar for next year, you will not be disappointed!
