Kite flying custom of Cham people

Every year, on the seventh day of the 11th month (Cham calendar), a "Yang In" clan in Ninh Thuan wears traditional ethnic costumes and gathers at a large field at the village entrance - where a small square tent has just been set up to perform the kite flying ceremony. This ritual is called Papăn kalang Po Yang In by the people to bless their descendants with health, happiness, and a bountiful harvest.

The kites are designed according to the gender of the male and female kites. The male kite is diamond-shaped, with two round pouches symbolizing the male genitals. The body is 1.5 meters long; the wings are 0.6 meters long, 1.4 meters wide, made of bamboo and tied with rattan. The front of the wings is covered with red paper, 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 attached with a two-tiered flute and three tails about 5 meters long made of large palm leaves. The kite string is a colored string (forest vines) woven into a rope, 50-100 meters long, rolled in an H-shaped wooden frame. The female kite is only 1/3 the size of the male kite, has no pouch, no paper with the story of Poo Yang written on it, and a single-tiered flute.

Mr. Kadhar offered offerings including bananas, eggs, betel and areca nuts, wine, goat meat or sticky rice... and invited Lord Po Yang In to witness the sincerity of his descendants. This offering symbolized the prosperity of his descendants in a year of business.

In the air filled with the scent of incense from the bronze censer, Mrs. Pajâu lifted the kite out of the theater and released the string. The kite had a flute attached, so when it flew high and met strong winds, it made a whistling sound. The villagers believed that the more gracefully the kite flew, the clearer the flute sounded, indicating the greater the response of the gods. On the ground, Kadha played the kanhi and sang a song about Po Patao Yang In and Chay Tathun... The descendants of the Yang In clan flew kites from morning until dusk, then collected the kites, peeled off the paper, cut the frame to take out next year and paste paper on them to continue flying.

According to the Cham people's belief, kites are the link between the two worlds of the living and the dead, reporting on the business situation and health of descendants to their ancestors, and at the same time asking for their blessings for the coming year. The kite has both national cultural value and evokes a peaceful atmosphere that is still preserved by the Cham people.

Thanh Nga (St)