Kite fighting, the major afghan tradition that has found its way to us through the art of literature. Though let us go deeper into kite fighting. How exactly does one kite fight, and how do you know the material to use to make it? To prepare for a kite-fighting match first you need to focus on creating a kite that will actually support the way you fight to do this you need several things. Obviously you need to be there yourself because you are the kite fighter and the leader of the entire thing but that’s not the most important part.
The first most important thing to have is a partner, without a partner your kite fighting dreams will be thrashed as it takes two people to operate the kite. The kite runner depicts Hassan as this partner. This, rather then the kite flyer is the most important part of the kite fighting experience. He is the controller, and must be paying attention at all times to release and retract the kite at the right times giving the kite fighter the tactical power over his fighting enemies.
The next thing would be the haft; this is the cloth or paper in which you make the shape, color, and size of the kite. In the novel the kite runner, Amir’s kite has a blue haft. The shape of a kite in Afghanistan is conserved through the family of kite runners which means that if your dads kite was a certain shape it is most likely that your kite will either be the exact same, or perhaps a slight alteration of your fathers kite. Size is not entirely important, a small kite can range from ten to twelve inches easy, while large kites can grow to a massive size, some even becoming as tall or taller then a human being. The kite’s skeleton is often made of bamboo because while it is malleable it is also a very strong wood.
The next important part in preparing for kite fighting is the wire or the tar. The success of the kite fighter was highly based on this crucial part of the kite. A good wire takes many hours to actually create. First you must make a mold to coat the wire. The wire was primarily made of crushed glass to create the sharpness so it could cut the other wire. It was then stuck together with mashed rice with has a similar texture to modern paste. The wire is coated with the mold and dried, where it is then wrapped around the drum. Many times the fighter and his drum holder would cut themselves on the wire due to the sharp glass that coats it, many times to the bone. To stop this cutting from happening now many children wrap a piece of leather around their index finger to stop the glass from cutting them. The drum is the final step to preparing for a fight. It needs to be very light so it can be easily wound and unwound.
The first most important thing to have is a partner, without a partner your kite fighting dreams will be thrashed as it takes two people to operate the kite. The kite runner depicts Hassan as this partner. This, rather then the kite flyer is the most important part of the kite fighting experience. He is the controller, and must be paying attention at all times to release and retract the kite at the right times giving the kite fighter the tactical power over his fighting enemies.
The next thing would be the haft; this is the cloth or paper in which you make the shape, color, and size of the kite. In the novel the kite runner, Amir’s kite has a blue haft. The shape of a kite in Afghanistan is conserved through the family of kite runners which means that if your dads kite was a certain shape it is most likely that your kite will either be the exact same, or perhaps a slight alteration of your fathers kite. Size is not entirely important, a small kite can range from ten to twelve inches easy, while large kites can grow to a massive size, some even becoming as tall or taller then a human being. The kite’s skeleton is often made of bamboo because while it is malleable it is also a very strong wood.
The next important part in preparing for kite fighting is the wire or the tar. The success of the kite fighter was highly based on this crucial part of the kite. A good wire takes many hours to actually create. First you must make a mold to coat the wire. The wire was primarily made of crushed glass to create the sharpness so it could cut the other wire. It was then stuck together with mashed rice with has a similar texture to modern paste. The wire is coated with the mold and dried, where it is then wrapped around the drum. Many times the fighter and his drum holder would cut themselves on the wire due to the sharp glass that coats it, many times to the bone. To stop this cutting from happening now many children wrap a piece of leather around their index finger to stop the glass from cutting them. The drum is the final step to preparing for a fight. It needs to be very light so it can be easily wound and unwound.
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