The kite whistles...

(Baonghean) - "Homeland is a blue kite/My childhood was spent flying in the fields" - for each person, the kite is associated with childhood, associated with memories of the homeland, is the "string" connecting with the earth, sky, and nature. The passion for kite flute, the hobby of playing with kite flute has created the simple yet noble beauty of the countryside...

Kite artist

Every afternoon, in Hamlet 5, Lac Son Commune, Do Luong District, on the dike, barefooted children run after kites soaring in the clear blue sky and the sound of laughter rings out in the wind. Those kites filled with wind are made by the skillful hands of the elders in the Lac Son Kite Club.

Having made flute kites for decades, each step seems to have permeated the artisan Dinh Xuan Quang, Lac Son Kite Club. While fondling each meticulously carved flute set, he explained: "Making a kite is easy, but to make a flute kite, you have to learn and spend time and passion on it. A flute kite consists of many flutes combined together. There are many different names for each flute. For example, in a set of 5 flutes, the 2 smallest flutes are often called bird flutes, baby flutes... the sound is light, sometimes whistling like a whistle. The 2 medium flutes are called the first flute, mother flute... the sound is both deep and high, very smooth like a song, a singing voice. The largest flute is called the gong flute or father flute... the sound is resounding like a gong. When flying into the sky, the sounds of the flutes combine together to create an extremely soulful melody." Pointing to his collection, Mr. Quang shared: "Although the number of flutes, the same bamboo tree and the same hand made them, each set has a distinct sound. Just like birds, even though they are of the same species, they have different songs."

Mr. Dinh Xuan Quang makes flute kites.

... Going back in time, kites have been attached to the young man Dinh Xuan Quang from childhood to adulthood. In 1960, following the call of the country, the young man enlisted in the 531st and 473rd Regiments in the Southern battlefield. After leaving the army and returning to his hometown, Dinh Xuan Quang was elected to the village committee, and held the positions of Chairman of the Lac Son Commune Veterans Association, Chairman of the Elderly Association, and Chairman of the Commune Ornamental Plants Association...

Along with social work, his passion for making flute kites has followed him from childhood to old age. To perfect his flute kite making techniques, Mr. Quang asked his children and grandchildren to buy kites for him whenever they had the chance to visit famous kite villages such as Dai Tra (Kien Thuy, Hai Phong), Ba Duong (Hanoi). When he returned home, he meticulously disassembled the kites to watch the process and learn from experience. Thanks to that, the flute kites he made were increasingly improved and became famous in the region. With his passion for flute kites and the desire to teach his children and grandchildren, he asked his peers to establish the Lac Son Kite Club. Up to now, the club has 8 main members and many members with a passion for flying kites have joined.

Talking about his passion since childhood, Mr. Quang recalled: In my hometown, after each rice harvest, it was kite flying season for the children in the neighborhood. The fields after the harvest were the ideal places to fly kites. We loved flying kites until dark, waiting for our parents to call us home. Bamboo groves and rice field banks were often where we gathered to make kites. Bamboo was readily available, we just had to choose flexible branches, shave them and dry them in the sun. We didn't have to buy paper to stick, but used old cardboard. Back then, there was no glue to stick, so we had to soak rice in water until it was soft and then spread it into glue. Making kites was meticulous, but flying kites also required "art". There were kites that looked very big and beautiful, but they didn't fly as high as small kites. Therefore, to make the kite fly high, the person flying the kite had to "run the bait" for a while. When the kite flew into the air, the string had to be loosened slowly, until the kite was halfway up, then the string was fixed again. Back then, we often gathered together to compete in kite flying. The kite that flew the highest, its owner would be honored as the “leader”. He said: The sound of the flute is music and also to forecast the weather. Because the sound of the flute changes according to the season, temperature and type of wind. Based on the sound of the flute, the listener can know what the weather will be like in the coming time, farming is also more favorable because of that.

Keep the country tune

In Lac Son, many people play kites, but only Mr. Dinh Xuan Quang, Mr. Dinh Tan Phat, Mr. Le Tri Ti, Mr. Hoang Van Hoa can make flute kites. There are 9 types of flutes in the set: am, ii, bi, bu, bo, do, de, di and di. Kite players must know how to listen to the sound of the flute, depending on the timbre. The size of the flutes in a set must follow the principle of decreasing size. To make a satisfactory kite flute, the kite maker must spend a lot of time and effort. To hear the standard sound of the flute, kite players, in addition to understanding the rules of music, need to have good ears and a "pure" soul to feel the sound of the flute. Listening to the sound of the kite flute is not only with the ears, but also with the heart and passion.

Mr. Tran Doan Tam - a cultural officer of Lac Son commune, said: The kite club of Mr. Tran Xuan Quang is active, promoting spiritual culture, contributing to preserving the traditional beauty of the homeland. During the Cua Lo River Festival in 2007, the kites full of wind of Mr. Quang's kite club left a deep impression on visitors. Every year, the Lac Son kite club represents the district to participate in kite flying exchanges with localities in the province. With many years of "experience" in kite flying, Mr. Quang always wonders how to pass on the kite to future generations. However, because making kites is very elaborate and time-consuming, the children of the village go to work far away, and the young children are busy going to school, they do not have the conditions or are interested in making kites.

Over time, thanks to people with love and passion, the kite flying game in Lac Son has not been lost, however, preserving the beauty of traditional culture is a matter of concern. Now, children, whether in the countryside or in the city, do not have to work hard to make kites like we did in the past, because in the market people sell ready-made kites. These kites are more beautiful, bigger, more colorful and more diverse in shape. The space for flying kites is no longer as spacious and airy as before, because the fields have now turned into crowded residential areas...

Pham Ngan