The kite-flying custom of the Cham people

Every year, on the seventh day of November (according to the Cham calendar), members of the "Yang In" clan in Ninh Thuan province, dressed in their traditional ethnic attire, gather at a large open field at the edge of the village – where a small square tent has just been erected – to perform the kite-flying ritual. This custom, called Papăn kalang Pô Yang In, is believed to bless their descendants with good health, happiness, and a bountiful harvest.

The kites are designed according to gender, male and female. The male kite is rhombus-shaped, with two round pouches symbolizing the male genitalia. The frame is 1.5 meters long; the wings are 0.6 meters long and 1.4 meters wide, made of bamboo and tied with rattan string. The front of the wing is covered with red paper, and the back is covered with a piece of paper recording the date the descendants performed the ritual and a brief history of Lord Po Yang In, written by Mr. Kadhar in Cham script. The male kite is fitted with a two-tiered whistle and three long tails, about 5 meters long, made of large palm leaves. The kite string is a colored rope (forest vine) braided into a rope, 50-100 meters long, coiled in an H-shaped wooden frame. The female kite is only one-third the size of the male kite, has no pouches, no paper recording the story of Po Yang, and a single-tiered whistle.

Mr. Kadhar offers gifts including bananas, eggs, betel nuts, wine, goat meat or sticky rice... and performs a ritual inviting Lord Po Yang In to witness the sincerity of his descendants. These offerings symbolize the prosperity and success of his descendants in their business endeavors throughout the year.

In the air, permeated with the scent of incense emanating from the bronze incense burner, Mrs. Pajâu lifted her kite from inside the tent and released the string. The kite, fitted with a whistle, produced a whistling sound as it soared high into the air and encountered strong winds. The villagers believed that the more gracefully the kite glided and the clearer the whistle sounded, the greater the blessings from the spirits. On the ground, Kadha played the kanhi instrument and sang songs about Pô Patao Yang In and Chay Tathun… The descendants of the Yang In clan flew kites from morning until late at night before gathering them, peeling off the paper, and cutting the frames to use the same kites the following year.

According to the Cham people's beliefs, kites serve as a link between the living and the dead, reporting to their ancestors about their descendants' business and health, and simultaneously seeking their blessings for the coming year. These traditional kites, imbued with cultural value and evoking a sense of tranquility, are still preserved by the Cham people.

Thanh Nga (St)