Bali kite festival

In the many hours I have spent at the museum researching the objects from the Pacific Islands, I would occasionally come across something somewhat unrelated that would catch my interest. In my search for symbolism of Balinese wood carvings, I found this photo which looks like a child flying through the air behind two bulls:

I couldn't figure out what it was at first, but that's a kite!

 Since it's nearly July, I thought I'd share what happens in Bali during this month. July is the middle of Bali's dry season, and there is a constant easterly wind, but rice crops are grown year round with the help of irrigation. The reason for flying these monstrous kites is to promote good harvests by sending messages to Hindu gods.  Typical kites flown during the Balinese kite flying season can range 10 to 30 feet! (The rule is no bigger than a two-lane road.) About ten adults are needed to help fly just one kite. Traditional shapes for the kites are fish, birds, and leaves, and colors typically include white, black, and red.

 

Each village, or banjar, helps build and fly the kites. They are constructed from bamboo and plastic or cloth skin and sewn together. Most of the largest kites cannot be dismantled because of this, but are instead walked in a long religious procession to the beach where they are sent up to the sky.

Just think how fun it would be to see these up in the air!