Taking to the skies – Kite flying in October

While the Kite Festival is still a relatively new event, Mr. Apap Agius explained that the festival is a modern reflection of the old childhood kite-flying tradition on the island.  On Gozo, every day can be the ‘right’ day for kite-flying as it is nearly impossible to find a day without a breeze or some wind.  He reminisced about childhood kitemaking and explained that, in those days, children were keen on the ‘kite season’.  Children used to model kites with genuine enthusiasm and passion, working hard to compete on who could build the best kite.    Kites were made from paper, with a mix of flour and water for glue and using bamboo strips collected from the valleys as the backbone for the kite.    Once the kite was ready, it was a matter of getting it airborne, which meant getting the kite to lift onto the breeze while slowly letting go of the line.  Then, it was up to the kite to lilt and lift to the skies while tagging at the string as if wanting to escape.  When he first came up with the idea of the Kite Festival, Mr. Apap Agius was seeking to rekindle the traditional hobby of kitemaking and boosting it to Gozo’s yearly calendar of events, and there is no doubt that this has been a successful activity.