Soaring with the Wau Some say that the word wau originated from the Arabic letter

wau, as the form of its wings looks like the shape of the letter. There are many legends and tales associated with the origins of the wau. The Farmers Friend One of them revolves around how farmers used it to represent a flying scarecrow in order to fend off birds from the paddy fields a rather effective method to avoid harvested paddy from falling victim to the winged creatures.

The wau was used to scare off birds from the paddy fields It was also said that the sounds made by the wau when it is up on the sky is an excellent lullaby for the farmers children the melody helps restless kids catch forty winks while the farmers could go about their tasks uninterrupted. . There are many types of wau, including Wau Bulan, Wau Jalabudi, Wau Kucing and Wau Merak, among others, with Wau Bulan being the most famous.

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The Princes Wau Legend has it that Wau Bulan is the brainchild of the Sri Wijaya Empire, symbolising Dewa Mudas efforts to reunify the empire. The young prince was said to use the wau as a canvas to map out the conquered districts using fine patterns and flowers, which he then displayed to his people. The story goes like this. Before he went to war, Dewa Muda would meditate in a cave in order to gain some spiritual insights. He would then exit the cave with a basic structure of Wau Bulan, and then go off to war. The designs kept on growing, after his return from a battle, symbolising the strength of his empire; much to the pride and delight of his people. The fable is spiced with the assertion that Dewa Muda had a spiritual link to his Wau. Allto epitomise on his grandness and magical prowess There are those who believe that he had obtained extraordinary spiritual advice by flying up to the heavens on his Wau Bulan and developed a relationship with the inhabitants of the celestial world. Wau Bulan could then be said to derive its name from its tail which resembles that of a crescent as the medium of transportation for Dewa Muda to ascend to the heavens.

Wau Bulan - the most `stable' of all waus

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Wau Bulan has indeed received much acclaim among kite lovers. It is well-known for being easily handled and has the reputation of being most stable kite amongst the others. Today, Wau Bulan is commonly flown around the East Coast of Malaysia during festivals or special occasions.

How to Judge a Wau A Wau is rather judged and named not only by its performance, beauty and appearance, but for the sound as well as any wau enthusiasts attest to. For example, Wau Jalabudi tends to produce a coarse sound, as it has a big hummer-like material, producing a vibrating element. The name came about from a leaf found in Kedah called the budi leaf, as the tail of the wau is similar to the shape. As the structure of the waus tail looks like a jala (net), it is therefore called Wau Jala Budi.

Wau Jala Budi's design is based on the shape of a woman's figure

As with many other pretty things, the shape of a womans body inspired the basic shape and design of Wau Jala Budi. Seen from the back, it resembles the extended hands of a woman followed by the figure, towards the waist and bottom.

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Wau Variety Wau Kucing, on the other hand, emits a melodious, high-pitched sound - like a cats mew. It is believed the hummer was used to scare away evil spirits, and predict the following days weather. Wau Merak, believed to have originated from Sulawesi, Indonesia, used to be flown mainly by the Bugis after the paddy harvest season. Taking the shape of a peacock, the design consists of a balong (fowls crest) and the elaborate tail the length of which is four times the size of its body. The hummer can let out seven different melodies or tunes made possible as it is usually played in the relative silence of the night. Fancy a clean fight without shedding blood or tears? Then Wau Laga is the perfect kite to pitch against an opponents. The aim is to break the rivals string and strive to bring his kite down to the ground. At present, the most significant wau flown up high in the skies, is the Wau Kucing, which is the Malaysia Airlines Systems corporate logo, proudly displayed on its airplanes. Among the other types of Wau are the Wau Dodo Helang, Wau Kebayak, Wau Daun, Wau Kikik, Wau Merak, Wau Puyuh, Wau Kapal, Wau Seri Bulan, Wau Helang, Wau Kangkang, and Wau Seri Negeri. The Royal Connection To get up close and personal with a wide variety wau head over to the 17th Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival. The festival which is the focal point for almost 860 participants from all over the world, runs from the 15th to the 19th of February 2012.

Kites Galore at the Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival With the theme 1Langit 1Budaya (1Sky 1 Culture), the festival is set to revive the glory days of the wau and kites in general. Not surprising owing to the fact that the wau had a strong royal connection; flying it was a royal privilege in the olden days.
COURTESY OF SK HAMZAH, MACHANG, KELANTAN, MALAYSIA