Make a Korean Kite

the rectangular korean shield kite is made from five bamboo sticks and covered with traditional mulberry paper. it is always in the strict proportion of two by three and has a circular hole in the center, with a diameter half the width of the kite. the hole functions as an efficient air control device. four of the five bamboo spars - one vertical, two diagonal, and one horizontal intersect at the hole. the bow line is tied to the fifth spar, across the top of the sail, and is tensioned to give the kite its convex face.

although most korean kites have the same shape, they come in different sizes, and use different colors and imagery in the decoration of the sail. many feature bright colors, usually red, blue, yellow, white, and black, and simple shapes, such as circles, half-moons, or stars. others are decorated with images as bats, butterflies... or are inscribed with the four chinese characters ‘song aek young bok’, believed to shield the flier against bad luck and help to get rid of evil spirits. korean kites continue to fly - koreans enjoy making and flying kites made of paper, both for fun and religious purposes. many different kinds of kites are flown high up in the air during winter. most flying is done between january 1st and january 15th. on the 15th (full moon day) people cut the string connected to the kite and let it fly away.

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