National Kite Flying Day:

National Kite Flying Day is commemorated every year on the 8^th of February and is intended to promote the art of making kites and flying them by everyone, not just enthusiasts.

Twitter Hashtags:

#NationalKiteFlyingDay

#KiteFlyingDay

Related: Other National Days Celebrated on February 8th:

National Boy Scout Day

National Iowa Day

Why National Kite Flying Day?

The Kite Flying Day is a global campaign to keep the culture of designing and flying kites. On this day, people from different places come together to showcase their individual kites and actively fly them in the sky.

Kite Flying Day explores the effect of the wind on things such as the leaves of the tree, houses and shelters within which people live, and the role of the wind in blowing ships and keeping them moving in the seas. It also explores how the wind blows hats off from the heads of wearers. These explorations make the day a wonder for many, posing the questions why and how and seeking to have fun while finding answers.

Kite Flying Day is also an exploration of how kites are normally used in spying activities, as an enabler for surveillance over an intended region or target, and as a means for sending and receiving coded messages.

Present-day kite making and flying are solely associated with fun and outdoor activities. It has even been integrated to become a sporting activity to be performed as competitions between countries. The kites today are designed in various shapes, diamond and box included, and are structured in such a way that the operator comfortably maneuvers to create a fun and dramatic display.

How can we celebrate National Kite Flying Day:

We can celebrate or observe the day by doing any of the following, or all:

• Attending kite flying festivals

The first way through which you can observe the National Kite Flying Day is by attending a kite-flying festival. These are normally held on sites such as the beach, or open airfields. The site is characteristically wide and open to give enough room for dramatic movements in efforts to control the kite as it sails through the wind.

• Making a kite

You can also make a kite for yourself or in the company of friends and fly them together on the Kite Flying Day. Doing so would keep the celebration alive while having fun at it. You and your friends can make kites of different designs and see which one performs best in the face of different wind strengths. The challenge can also be about the height of the kite, and the person with the highest reaching kite takes the prize home.

• Post on social media

Posting on social media using the #NationalKiteFlyingDay is also a way of observing this auspicious day, as it ensures the kite flying campaign goes past the confines of the border. With a very huge internet presence these days, it will only be a matter of time before everyone is making and flying their kites.

• Learn different kite designs

You can also learn new ways and designs for your kite, in an effort to ensure that you make a different kite every National Kite Making Day. This keeps the occasion interesting as well as fun-filled.

Interesting facts about National Kite Flying Day:

Some of the interesting facts about National Kite Flying Day include:

• Kite flying can be done indoors as well as outdoors depending on whether the weather permits.
• Kites have been used in the South Island for fishing purposes.
• Kites have been used as a means to pass messages between people separated by long distances. The messages are color-coded and can therefore be interpreted by certain people only.
• Early day kites were designed using bamboo sticks and firm reeds for their sturdy nature.

History of National Kite Flying Day:

The history of kites dates to ancient China in 470 B.C., a country characterized by their extensive lore as well as histories for when the kite is concerned. During these early days, and even now, kites were designed using bamboo as well as reeds that were sturdy and would therefore not break. To make the sails, the Chinese men and women would use leaves of trees, silk, and even specially designed paper. To tether these sails, people would sew vines and reeds together to come up with a long line from which the sail is attached.