Talk:Wau bulan
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BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN dirt trails served as roads and street signs were unheard of, people looked high up into the sky and looked for the wau.
The graceful dance and humming of these awesome traditional kites would tell them “where the action was” since the wau were usually flown to celebrate a bountiful harvest.
A much anticipated occasion, this was when padi planters could take time to enjoy life a little — making huge kites and carving wood, a change from the back-breaking tasks in the padi fields.
The wau or layang-layang is a uniquely designed traditional Malay kite that has graced the skies since then. It is called wau because the shape of its wing is similar to an Arabic letter (pronounced “wow”).
According to a funnier story, when the first Westerners to the country first set eyes on the kites in the sky, they exclaimed “Wow!” and the name had stuck since.
There are many other tales connected to the kites. One told of a Malay army troop that was doomed to defeat. The leader had his soldiers fly the wau with noisemakers attached. The unworldly sounds terrified the enemies and drove them away. Some say this story is similar to one told in China, so could this have been an adapted version?
Apparently, farmers also used kites as flying scarecrows to frighten off birds in the fields.
Wau are also flown for the sound they make which lulls the children to sleep, leaving the adults more time for work. Some kite makers leave a wau flying at night and fall asleep to the sounds of the kite.
The kites are also flown over rice fields throughout the night during the windy planting season, as some believe that this would raise the “spirit of the padi” for a bountiful season.
Wau tales are plentiful and and this remarkable tradition is intrinsic to Malay culture, particularly in the East coast states of the peninsula.
Contrary to popular belief, traditional kite flying is far from dead, according to Kamaruzaman Idris, director of Perbadanan Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia Negri Kelantan (Kelantan Arts and Craft Development Board).
“It’s still being flown especially during the dry season after the harvest when there are strong winds. Just drive through the villages and you’ll see,” he says.
In Kelantan, this is also the time for the annual Wau Festival. Kites take to the sky as people gather in Pantai Seri Tujuh where it is usually held, in the first quarter of the year to coincide with the Sultan’s birthday.
All kinds of wau are seen during this period — the wau bulan, wau burung, wau bayan, wau kucing, wau jala budi and wau lenggang kebayan, to name a few. Some of these names may sound odd to many of us, but they represent essentially the traits of the individual wau.
The wau bulan (crescent kite), for example, is thus named for its crescent-shaped tailpiece. It is one of the more popular kites. In fact, Malaysia Airlines uses a stylised wau bulan as its logo to symbolise a controlled flight, while a dikir barat recording of “Eh, wau bule...” plays on air every now and again.
This kite usually has a 2.5m wing span and height measuring up to 3.5m. Some are known to be bigger. Yet, light and versatile, it can reach a height of more than 450m on a windy day, making it a favourite for competitions.
It takes a lot of skill to make a winning wau. The frame is constructed from bamboo — the best being buluh duri (thorny bamboo). The bamboo is split and soaked in mud for two weeks. This makes it pliable and prevents it from being attacked by weevils.
Once the frame is made, it is tested with a layer of paper and altered accordingly. Next, the patterns are meticulously cut from rice-paper and glued on piece by piece to form intricate motifs.
The actual design is an individual choice. It is, however, always based on the traditional Malay patterns engraved on wood. The motifs bear such charming names like bunga tikam seladang, bunga ulat bulu, bunga cempaka, bunga ribu-ribu, bunga keladi and bunga cermai.
There are varying regional styles of kite-making and designs. Wau merak (peacock wau) for example, is famous in Johor. It is so popular there that there is even a Muzium Layang-Layang (Museum of Kites) in Pasir Gudang.
It is believed that wau merak has its origins among the Bugis community of Sulawesi, Indonesia. As legend goes, the Bugis people designed and flew gigantic wau merak to drive away birds, especially peacocks, preventing them from damaging their crops. These days, wau merak is also called wau kipas (fan wau), after the shape of the tail.
Generally, the quality of patterns on a wau depends on the craftsman’s carving skills, Kamaruzzaman said, adding that wood carvers are often skilled in the trade too.
The wau carries a busur, a bow and hammer that help add balance. It also produces a deep, humming sound described as dengung, which fosters the belief that the kite becomes alive once it is in the air.
Interestingly, the sound varies with the differerent wau. A wau bulan has a masculine sound, whereas the wau kucing exudes a quicker, higher pitched “meow”. Still, this depends on the force of the wind - the higher the kite flies and the faster the wind, the higher the pitch!
The mark of a good kite is one that rises quickly and remains flying, no matter what the wind conditions are. The sound it produces, how it looks (the colours tell of the maker’s personality and mood while making the kite) and how straight up it can fly are the other “wow” factors.
[edit] Things Needed For This Article
- A nice big photo of the wau bulan
- Dimensions of the kite
- Cultural/historical background/significance of the wau
- Wau bulan in art
- Modern day wau bulan and popularity
Needless to say, all of these information should have references.
