This weekend the city immediately south of Hua Hin, called Cha Am is calling locals, weekend visitors and international travellers to the annual International Kite Festival of 2014.
Located just a couple of hours away from Bangkok and right on the southern railway line, Hua Hin and Cha Am are two very convenient yet chic getaways especially for city people.
Whether you own real estate in Hua Hin and Cha Am, or you are just interested in visiting for a few days, this weekend is the perfect time to go. Starting around noon on March 8th, the skies over Cha Am’s tropical beaches will suddenly be filled with vibrant and colourful kites, twisting and turning and soaring overhead for the viewing pleasure of anyone on the beach. It’s a must see for anyone in the area, especially photography lovers.
What to Expect at the Hua Hin / Cha Am Kite Festival
As the event attracts more people every year you can expect a fairly big crowd, but it won’t be anything so big that it’s unbearable. You’ll see couples, families and friends set up their beach blankets and picnics on the sand to lay back and watch the daytime sky fill with colourful flying fabrics of all shapes and sizes. For the most part, these are not the small diamond kites you flew as a child; many of them are enormous, and shaped like an owl, fish, a human face, a snake, and this year most likely there will be many horses as well. Others may be more like parachutes than actual kites, and their presence definitely does not go unnoticed.
While picnicking under hundreds of flying kites is a nice way to spend the day, there’s more to the festival. Kite runners from all over the world will join the event in various competitions, including kite stunting and ballet, a parachute show, and a radio controlled air plane show. To be more than a spectator, you can join a kite-making contest lead by a kite expert to fly on your own later in the day or weekend.
The whole event will be set to traditional Thai music with several dance performances as well, and as with any Thai festival there will be plenty of food and handicraft booths everywhere to keep you well fed and entertained. This annual event is really one not to be missed and definitely one of the more colorful events of the year.
Kite Competition, Explained
The traditional Thai kite competition is a battle between the sexes, Chula (male) and Pakpao (female). Males and females have different roles within the competition, but each has a side of the playing field and have the ultimate goal of being the last kite flying.
The male Chula kite is much larger than the female, typically sized between 5 and 7 feet, is built with a bamboo frame and is in the shape of a star. The tail of the kite is what makes the competition get interesting, as there are some bamboo thorns to catch the ‘female’ kites. The team behind each Chula kite is between 10 and 20 people who can make their kite cross into female territory as the aggressor in the competition.
The female Pakpao kite does not have thorns, but is much easier to maneuver with its smaller size, about 2-3 feet, its shorter rope and diamond shape. She must stay within her territory for the entire competition, so when the male kite approaches her, her role is to dodge and flit the male kite so it eventually loses control and falls. She may also use her long tail to swirl around the male kite and drag him down.
History of Kite Flying in Thailand
The sport of kite flying competitions is now ancient, dating back to 700 years ago, but the international competition has only been happening since 1989. Kite flying has long been dignified by rules and regulations and a heritage involving everyone from kings to commoners. Kites are also part of the military history of Thailand, as King Petraja would tie gunpowder to large kites and fly them over battle enemies.
Have you ever attended the International Kite Festival? Leave us your comments below! And don’t forget to read the blog post about other fun activities in Hua Hin.
