A Kite is a toy, made of a light frame of bamboo,
covered with paper. The frame is made of two thin strips, one long and the other
short fastened together in the shape of a cross, with two more strips joining
the ends of the cross-piece with the lower end of the long center piece, and a
curved piece of bamboo strip joining the two ends of the cross-piece with the
top end of the center piece. So the shape is a triangle with a curved base.
Over this frame is stretched thin but strong paper, generally color red, or
blue, or yellow, or green. A long string is then fastened near the middle of
the long center stick of the frame, and the kite is ready for flying.
For flying a kite, a good wind is necessary. To
start the kite, one boy takes it and walks some distance, while the boy who is
to fly the kite stands still, holding the long string. The boy with the kite
then throws it up into the air, the curved end upwards, and the wind catches it
and blows it before it. The kite tier then pulls his string to check and steady
the kite, and the tie rises higher and higher in the air; and as the boy lets
more and more string out, the kite flies on with the wind, The kite-flier can
control its flying by pulling in, or letting out, the string.
Kite-flying is a favorite amusement in Japan,
China, and Pakistan. Boys and men in all these countries hold kite-flying
contests or tournaments. In India, these kite games are played especially at Besant.
The game of each kite-flier is to cut the strings of the kites of the others
with the string of his own kite, by making his kite fly across theirs, and then
pulling his string quickly back and fore till the other’s string is worn
through. When a kite, thus defeated, falls, all the people watching, race to
catch it. It takes a good deal of skill to manage a kite properly, and the
contests are very interesting to watch.