Kite Flying
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| Kite flying holds a long tradition in Thailand, not only in games, but in warfare as well. In 1690, an Ayutthaya governor quelled a northeast city-state's rebellion by flying huge kites, called chulas, over the besieged city and bombing it into submission with jars of explosives. |  |
| Today, however, the kite flying competitions are more peaceful. They symbolize the battle of the sexes, in which opposing teams fly male (chula) and female (pakpao) kites. The small agile pakpaos try to bring down the more cumbersome chula, while the male kite seeks to snare the female kites and bring them back into male territory. The classical kite shapes are stars and rhombus. However, the colorful picture in the sky is complemented with designs of snakes, frogs, butterflies or even airplanes. The kite season is from February to April, in the summer months during the northeast monsoon. | |
