History of Kites
The Chinese were probably the first to make kites some 2,500 years ago. Wood, silk, bamboo and paper have all been widely used at different times. There were military uses for kites - the ‘sacred fire crow’ was a flying device which could carry explosives in attack, for example. However, by the tenth and eleventh centuries, the kite had become associated with enjoyment - most were made of silk, richly decorated, sometimes with bamboo pipes attached which made music in the wind.
Nowadays in Japan and China, New Year’s Day is associated with kite-flying. Designs will be in a whole variety of shapes produced in paper, cloth or sometimes plastic. Often they are decorated as dragons with fierce faces. Some kites are so big that they need four or five people to fly them. Children will often create their own designs, making kites which look like butterflies, cranes or even fish. The box kite is chosen on very windy days.
There have been many superstitions associated with kites. In China it was believed that if the string broke and your kite floated into another person’s house, it meant bad luck and the kite would have to be destroyed. Many traditional festivals were linked to the flying of kites. Since the emperors of old wore mainly red, yellow and blue these came to be the traditional colours used for kites.
In modern times in Europe and America, kites have been used in the development of transport, as an aid in scientific discovery and even during World War II. Above all, people from many countries and of all ages continue to enjoy the simple pleasure of flying kites.
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