BALI KITE FESTIVAL
Bali Kite Festival is annual International kite festival held in Padang Galak Area, Sanur Beach Bali. Traditional giant kites ( 4 meters in width and almost 10 meters in length ) are made and flown competitively by teams from the villages ( Banjar ) of Denpasar. The event is a seasonal religious festival intended to send a message to the Hindu Gods to create abundant crops and harvests.
Bebean ( fish - shaped ), Janggan ( bird - shaped ) and Pecukan ( leaf - shaped ) are three traditional kites flown during this kite festival. The kites are flown by teams of 10 or more adults kite fliers. The Bebean is the largest kite, and looks like a broad-mouthed, split-tailed fish. The Janggan form has a broad flowing cloth tail that can reac
h more than 100 meters in length. The Pecukan requires the most skill to fly, as its unstable form often tumbles towards the ground. Red, white and black are traditional colors used in the kite's designs. Each type of traditional kite has its own competition with heats of 10 teams vying for the best launch and longest flight. Sometimes the kites come down over the adjancent rice paddies and the team members have to dash through the paddy to rescure the kite before it lands in the water.
A competition is also held for "New Creation" kites which may include detailed three dimensional figures representing the Hindu Gods or sponsorship kites. Traditional and new creation kites are constructed from bamboo and cotton cloth. In the dry season of June and August, the winds blow continually from east to west in most of I
ndonesia. Balinese children and adults fly kites in the vacant rice paddies during this period. A gamelan orchestra plays music throughout the festival. The festival attracts many tourists and international kite fliers, along with many local spectators.
