Re:History of Kites
by nimz on Monday April 17, 2023 @01:33PM
(#35603863)
In my youth, I participated in "kite fighting," a popular activity in my home country. During these battles, opponents maneuver their kites, attempting to cut each other's kite string through tricky aerial tactics. We used special kite strings coated in thin glass. The victor's prize was getting to keep their opponents kite. Around January, during the kite festival, there would be hundreds of kites in the air all dancing or playing with each other. A magnificent sight.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/19/three-children...
This can lead to some very tragic outcomes!
they ought to have neck protection for sports like this
It's not really a sport where you meet on a field so it's kinda tough to enforce. Everyone is out on their roofs flying kites (according to what little of it I've seen in Rishi and Jen's segments on TLC's 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way)
Wow, didn't realize this innocent sport could be so cut-throat.
In the late 80s/early 90s when I was kite-battling, it was common to use these glass coated strings. I haven't played in decades, but it does seem quite dangerous now that I think about it as an adult. I'm glad the practice is banned.
We live in a different age today in terms of safety awareness. I vividly remember playing with powerful fireworks during Diwali celebrations. We'd light them in our hands and hurl them skyward moments before they burst. Today the mere thought of this makes me shudder, and I can't even imagine my children playing this way.