The Wau Bulan Kites - A Traditional Kite from Malaysia

The Wau Bulan Kites  Malaysia

On many spring days I wish that I

Could be a kite flying in the sky.

I would climb high toward the sun

And chase the clouds. Oh, what fun!

Whichever way the wind chanced to blow

Is the way that I would go.

          Like the poet of this poem many of us wish to fly like a kite in the blue sky. Kites are the matter of Fashion, Passion and Dreams in many part of the world. Here I have got a beautiful tradition of kite making and flying from Malaysia. It has caught the eye of the kite enthusiast from the whole world. This article is having beautiful pictures and a detail documentary video about “The Wau Bulan Kites” of Malasyia. So if you love kites then I am so sure you will love to know and experience the traditional kites “Wau Bulan”

Wau bulan is an intricately designed Malaysian moon-kite (normally with floral motifs) that is traditionally flown by men in the Malaysian state of Kelantan. Indigenous to the people living in Kelantan and Terengganu, these kites are a special craft of West Malaysia. Making these kites is a tedious job and requires a great amount of patience.

Firstly, bamboo is used to make the frames for the kites, which keeps the kites sturdy and lightweight. Next, motifs are carved out of coloured paper and shiny glazed paper. The intricacy of the carvings is what sets a good kite maker apart from the others. The carvings are then meticulously glued onto the frames. Finally the kite is decorated with bright paper tassels. The motifs on the kites are normally flowers with vines. The flowers represent the man while the vines represent the ladies. After the harvest period, these kites are commonly flown over the paddy fields. This is a break time for all the farmers who had work hard through the rice-planting season.

Used As some Important Symbols - It is one of Malaysia's national symbols, some others being the kris and hibiscus. The reverse side of the fifty-cent coin of Malaysia (1989 series) features an intricately-decorated wau bulan with a hummer on top. The logo of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is also based on this kite.

Wau on Coin

Wau as the symbol of Airlines

Wau Flying Competition – in any regions, the Wau Flying competition happen during the spring and summer season , Feb – April . Many other countries also organise exhibition of the Wau Bulan Kites.

Decorative Use - Many tourists buy these beautiful kites for decorative purpose.  With beautiful design and colour Wau kites are surely serve the purpose of a beautiful decorative piece. It serve as a great gift to the loved ones.

There are many type of Wau Kites :-

Wau bulan or 'moon kite'

Wau jala budi or 'woman kite'

Wau kuching or 'cat kite'

Wau barat or 'leaf kite', also known as the 'morning kite'

Wau merak or ‘peacock kite’ which has a tail and is a local traditional kite of the Johor province

Main Places for the competition – Johore  , Bintulu ,Kelantan , Pasir Gudung - (ALL IN MALAYSIA )

How it Got Name - Wau bulan got its name from the crescent moon-like shape of its lower section (bulan means "moon" in Bahasa Malaysia). 'Wau', pronounced 'Wow', is an Arabic letter that looks something like the kite's shape.

Given the right colour, wau bulan apparently resembles a rising crescent moon when flown.Wau Bulans, Wau Kuching and other similar kites are constructed to fly in a figure of eight path so as to make the normally attached hummer give a constant noise.

The size of wau bulan is bigger than any other Malaysian traditional kite. The typical size is 2.5 meters in width and 3.5 meters in length. This makes the decorations painted on the kite's body to be visible when it is flown high in the air. To make it more distinctive, wau bulan is normally decorated with large, strong-coloured patterns.

So if you are planning to visit Malaysia then try to catch these kites and why not bring back one to decorate the wall of your home.

Video Documentary in English 

(a must watch )

Wau Bulan Kite - The traditional Kites of Malaysia 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3