By Wendella Davidson

ROADSIDE vendors are now out in abundance as they aim to capture the attention of both adults and children with attractively-designed kites.

But this, from observation, only started happening during the past weekend, unlike years gone by when, in the run-up to the Easter holiday each year, kite frames, kite paper, polythene twine and even the completed kites of all shapes and sizes dotted almost every conceivable corner to catch the eyes of shoppers, weeks before.

And, particularly in the countryside, children could have been seen running about in the streets after school and on the weekends with their `caddy ole punch’, which could be constructed within minutes from the leaves of used exercise books, old magazines or newspapers and parts of the pointer broom.

Now, with the advent of cell phones, laptops, tablets and phablets, the excitement of flying a kite before Easter Monday is hardly there, with only those children attending nursery school getting a feel when respective schools host a kite flying day for them. The gadgets have seemingly now taken over.

I grew up until age 15 in Danielstown Village, on the Essequibo Coast and I have fond memories of flying the `ole caddy’ kites which I made myself using two pieces of ‘pointer’, discarded magazine pages and a piece of string or cloth for a tail.
I also enjoyed seeing my brothers make a kite from scratch. Weeks before they used the ‘ite’ palm to construct the frame which would then be covered with either the leaves of a discarded magazine or exercise book or an old newspaper. And, if the funds were available they would purchase brown paper from the store. The popular paste used would either be flour paste, starch or ‘gamma cherry’- a fruit which amazingly is only seen around Easter. The glue from ripe or half-ripe fruit is what was used to stick the paper onto either the pointer or ‘ite’ kite frame.

Many stories were told of some children who used starch or flour paste to put together their kites, waking up the next morning to find that either mice or cockroaches had a field day nibbling at the finished product or ants had taken over the kites. But while it was heart-rending to discover that, it was all part of the kite-making experience.
The kite to be flown on Easter Monday was made of a sturdier ‘ite’ palm and of either the colourful kite paper or the Barbados kite paper (the latter was a little costly) complete with the ears and frills. The excitement was to hear the kite making a singing noise while in the air.

For us back then, the emphasis was on the `bull’ or `tongue’, a piece of paper which was secured behind the top end of the kite to cause the buzzing sound, as well as the loop which would determine how and if the kite would fly which my brothers referred to as the mounting loop. There is a specific way by which this piece of polythene is attached to the front of the kite to allow the kite to soar very high. If the loop is not placed the right way, the kite would either not go up or if it does, it would pitch as if there is no tomorrow.
Even that now is a thing of the past as the mass-produced imported kites mostly in the shape of a bird have taken over, Nevertheless, there are the diehards who still make kites for sale but out of softwood.

People now want everything ready-made, they don’t have time to tear up bed sheets or to put in kite loops as that is hard work. They can now just go to Regent Street or any Chinese store and purchase the entire kite, twine and tail.
Kite-making is an art and those who continue to keep the tradition alive in the face of stiff competition from the mass-produced bird kites should be commended.