Kite festival!

Welcome To Pasir Gudang
The Pasir Gudang World Kites festival is one of the prestigious event listed in Malaysia Tourism calendar. It is organized by Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG) and Johor State Goverment , Johor Tourism Department with the support of Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, Ministry of Information Communications and Culture Malaysia and Johor Kite Association. The Festival promises thrill and fun-filled time with its showcase of kites creatively put together by internationals from all over the world and local kiters participating in various categories as well as exhibitions,  workshop and Malaysia’s Own Multicultural Performances. This year's event had been held from 16th to 20th February 2011

...Video about kitE...

... nOtes abOut cOmpetitiOn...

1. The border motif is called ‘larat’
2. The center flower is called ‘ibu’(mother) all life, represented here by numerous vines and flowers originate out of sight, behind ibu, because origin of life is mysterious and unknown. Ibu generates wing vines, leaves, flowers, etc.
3. The image at base of kites is the ‘flower pot’ from which vines for the tail area originate (kuching, bulan)
4. The vines must follow from each other properly and connect logically – they cannot begin independently
5. The vines are usually referred to as ‘twisting dragons’.
6. Various other border motifs are referred to as ‘shark teeth’, ‘duck walk’ (referring to the outspread tracks of a duck)
7. The flowers on the sail never face toward the viewer. They are always sideways, or oblique. It is considered rude for the flowers to be shown from the front
8. The form of the leaves is meant to suggest leaves twisting in the wind, so they are often turned or distorted.

Wau barat

1. The Wau barat are always painted – as opposed to paper applique of other kites.
2. The Wau barat is the only Wau that has no hummer
3. The Wau barat is often made using batik techniques; in fact, are usually painted by batik artists, not kite makers
4. Much more change is taking place with the barat design, often they are unique and original designs (only in the last 6 years) which are being gradually accepted in competition. It should be understood that this is mostly because these sails are painted by artists from other disciplines.

Wau merak

1. The merak has a completely different leaf and flower design from other wau kites. It is more Indonesian than Malaysian, and reflects the supposed origin of the design
2. It also has a head and tail, two of the reasons it is not readily accepted in official Pelayang competition (with the notable exception of events held in Johor)
3. The tail is usually heavy colored yarn, and the head is wire or bamboo wrapped with the same yarn.

Judging

Judges are trained by the Majlis Pelayang Malaysia, a state funded and regulated body. These judges are awarded certificates of achievement, and regularly attend seminars. There are different levels of judges for different aspects of the judging process. Those judging the artistic quality of the kites are often art teachers, or batik designers. Flight judges are usually former or current kitemakers.

Materials

Usually independently bought, but often the same, as paper sources are few in Malaysia. The humming strips or ‘busurs’ can be ribbon or magnetic tape (which many flyers prefer for casual flying) but for competition, they must be a rattan strip

The best bamboo for wau kite frames is considered to be ‘buyoh’ or ‘duri’. It is cut during November or December for use 10 months later. The bamboo is treated in a number of different ways. Typically, it is soaked in water, then heated to straighten and toughen. This is often accomplished by wiring it into the center of a steel pipe which is heated in a diesel oil and wood fire.

Wau kites were originally said to be developed by wood carvers who developed the layered paper technique. Malay wood carvings greatly influenced the design

The original Waus were flown with very large hummers, and flown over the rice paddies all night long during the windy planting season. The rice farmer often stayed in a little shack for days at a time in the center of his paddies, and had a lot of free time for making kites. The villagers and farmers could hear the humming sound in the dark – when it moved, they could track the changes in the wind direction, and it was a very relaxing and soothing sound at night.

Competition

1. Scheduling of different classes is often instantly modified to suit daily winds
2. All lines are carefully measured at 150 meters long. Everyone uses monofilament fisihing line for flying because it is cheap, readily available and has low wind drag.
3. A competition flight lasts for 10 minutes, which is carefully timed. Years ago, (and still in some outer kampongs) the flight was measured by the time it took a half coconut shell with a small hole to sink in a bucket of water.
4. Four main flight measurements:
   1. a good launch
   2. a shallow figure eight flight pattern
   3. a high angle of flight
   4. the sound of the hummer
5. The angle of flight is an important measure of flight performance, and is only measured once, at the time of it’s highest level. 90 degrees is not uncommon with very well built kites and ideal wind
6. The hummer sound is usually quickly ascertained during the launch – and is not a high point item
7. The flyer is allowed to handle the line for the first minute of the flight. After that it is tied to the measuring device and cannot be touched, unless the kite is in trouble, such as coming down and requiring relaunch, or gets tangled with other kites. The judges are usually tolerant about this. The line can not be touched to raise the kite's flying angle.
8. Typically most team members gather around the line, near the judge, to loudly exhort the kite to higher altitude. This can be very entertaining to witness, especially when 8 to 10 kite teams are working at once

It is important to note that Wau kites are almost never built by a single individual, but by a group of people. A Wau club will usually have one or two people (almost always men, with the notable exception of one club in Langkawi, dominated by a woman designer) who are very good at building frames, one that does most of the sail designs, etc.

The prize money for these events is a significant reason many builders are involved in the sport.

Occasionally, some older men do build an entire kite themselves. It is rare, and they are usually not as high a quality in terms of sail design complexity as the club built kites.

MORE about KITE...

There are varying regional styles of kite making and designs.

In making a wau, bamboo is used for the frame.  The bamboo is split and soaked in mud for two weeks. This prevents the bamboo from being attacked by weevils as well as makes it more flexible.  The bamboo splits are made into a complex but lightweight frame, tested with one layer of paper and making alterations accordingly to make sure the kite is structurally sound. Next, the patterns are meticulously cut from rice-paper and glued on piece by piece to form intricate motifs. 

Apart from the performance and appearance of the Malay kite, the sound is considered important as well. The sound created or dengung as it is called, depends on the force of the wind. The higher the kite flies and the faster the wind, the higher the pitch, making the sound 

... w-a-u-u-u,   w-a-u-u-u. There are various types of wau such as wau kuching (cat kite), wau merak (peacock kite), and wau bulan (moon kite). Each wau also comes with a different design and size.

 

Wau Bulan (Crescent Kite)

Named because of its famous crescent-shaped tailpiece, this kite usually has a 2.5 metres wing span and height measuring up to 3.5 metres. This Light and versatile wau bulan is the favorite for competitions and are made from bamboo and paper. For a winning kite, a special bamboo, pokok buloh duri, is used. In a windy day, a wau bulan can reach a height of more than 450 metres. Malaysian Airline System has chosen it as its logo, to symbolise controlled flight.

Wau Sobek

Mostly used for decorations in many East Coast homes, uses bamboo and cloth. Cloth is used, as it has a nice texture and appearance but is simply too heavy to fly.

The mark of a good kite is one that rises quickly and remains flying, no matter what the whims of the wind may be.
 

KITE??

Wau or Kite in Malay is a uniquely designed Malaysian kite that has flown since times past. It is called 'Wau' because the shape of its wing is similar to an Arabic letter (pronounced "wow"). It is a marvelous tradition inherent to the culture of the people, especially in the Eastern States of the Malayan Peninsula. Today, the kite is still widely found in the traditionally rich states of Kelantan and Terengganu, especially during harvest time.

One legend says that farmers used kites as a kind of flying scarecrows in the fields. The sound made by the kites lulled their children to sleep, so they could work with little interruption. Another popular belief is that coastal inhabitants once employed fishing kites made from palm leaves and fitted with a line and hook to catch fish.