Kite Clubs Compete in Sanur

Jakarta, Indonesia - As many as 700 kite clubs, including nine from other countries, competed in the Sanur International Kite Festival from Aug. 5 to 7.

The clubs flew 1,250 kites along the Mertesari beach.

“The foreign clubs came from Sweden, India, Switzerland, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, China, France and Australia,” festival coordinator I Kadek Dwi Armika said.

The festival featured several categories including traditional Balinese kites and modern creations.

“Traditional Balinese kites have three shapes: pecukan (leaf-shaped), bebean (fish-shaped) and janggan (bird-shaped),” Armika said.

“We also introduced Sanur’s traditional style at this festival. Sanur traditional kites have a different shape and style than kites from other areas in Bali,” he added.

The judges were kite experts from Bali, Jakarta and France, and rated kites for their creativity, innovation, material, construction, color and performance.

Armika said competition was tight, and winners would have the chance to join higher competitions.

“The champion will be sent to Thailand to represent Bali at the Thailand International Kite Festival in March 2012,” he added.

The winner in Thailand goes to the Dieppe International Kite Festival in France.

“Dieppe is the most prestigious kite festival in the world, and we have hoped for a very long time that a Balinese kite could eventually enter that festival,” Armika said.

The Sanur International Kite Festival also featured an exhibition session in which participating clubs flew experimental kites, including 25 that were flown at night. These kites had colorful lamps that enabled the flyers on the ground to identify and maneuver them.

The experimental kites were in different shapes, from an octopus, calf, clown and crab to popular cartoon characters Ipin and Upin.

A Malaysian participant, Nasri Ahmad, 53, who chairs the Putrajaya Malaysia Kite Flyers Association, said he was glad to join the festival.

“This is the first time I flew my kite in Bali, and it turns out that flying kites in Sanur is fun. I have participated in several kite festivals in Malaysia and other countries, but so far the wind in Sanur is the best,”

he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
Photo: http://foto.detik.com

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