Welcome to Saturday Snippets ..my one-word prompt today is “KITE”

“Let’s go fly a kite” s a song from Walt Disney’s 1964 film Mary Poppins, was one of my first thoughts and the other was what a beautiful bird the Kite is…

And if someone tells you “to go fly a kite,” they want to get rid of you!

No one knows exactly how or who invented the first kite. It is thought that the earliest use of kites was among the Chinese peoples, approximately 2,800 years ago.
The kite was said to be the invention of the famous 5th century BC Chinese philosophers Mozi and Lu Ban…but it’s likely many instances of the kite were not well documented… By 549 AD, paper kites were being flown as a way to send messages… Ancient and mediaeval Chinese sources list other uses of kites for measuring distances, testing the wind, lifting men, signalling, and military communication…

Other evidence suggests that kites were used by cultures in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the South Pacific as fishing instruments made of natural materials like leaves and reeds.

Or it could have just been an unknown boy flying his paper kite in the wind…

The Kite…

Kite is a common name for certain birds of prey…a Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey and although they have some similar characteristics to the Eagle it is a larger bird of prey.

A kite is any of numerous birds of prey belonging to one of three subfamilies (Milvinae, Elaninae, Perninae) of the family Accipitridae. Typically, a kite is lightly built, with a small head, partly bare face, short beak, and long narrow wings and tail. Kites occur worldwide in warm regions. They are easily identified by their distinctive forked tail.

Kites are primarily carnivorous and feed on a wide variety of prey. Each species hunts different prey, and birds in separate regions sometimes have entirely different diet compositions. These birds eat anything from mice, rats, and squirrels, to lizards, snakes, and frogs.

There have been a few recordings of this song over the years…Greg Hawkes, The Beatles, Eddie Izzard and Billy Connolly to name but a few… I prefer U2…

Kite Beach is one of Dubai’s most popular beaches – perfect for sun-seekers, foodies and sports enthusiasts alike. If you’re serious about your watersports and want to test your skills on one of the best free beaches in Dubai, Kite Beach has plenty of challenges. Located just off the Jumeirah neighbourhood, you’ll find high-quality equipment available to rent along the sand.

Try kitesurfing, wakeboarding or stand-up paddleboarding, unless staying on dry land is more your thing – you’re bound to find a game of beach volleyball to join, along with a welcoming vibe and plenty of new friends to make in the process. If you’re looking for a more chilled out vibe, Kite Beach exudes adrenaline as much as it does serenity and a casual beachside atmosphere…sounds like my idea of hell…Just saying

Kite Fighting…Yes!…it is a sport and can be quite brutal…

Banned by “The Taliban”  who outlawed kite flying on the grounds it distracted young men from praying and other religious activities. The much-loved national pastime earned a reputation abroad after Afghan author Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 bestselling novel “The Kite Runner” was turned into a film…

Kite fighting is contested in many countries, but particularly in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, Chile and Brazil.

Did you know?

Kite is a town in Johnson County, Georgia, USA, along the Little Ohoopee River. The town was named after Shaderick Kight, who donated the land to build the town.

Kitekite Falls, also known as Kitakita Falls, is located in the western part of Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, near the famous Piha Beach. A spectacular 40-meters multi-step waterfall it looks so beautiful…

Kites look so very pretty fluttering in the wind and it’s no surprise that there are many kite festivals around the world…

The most famous being “The Barrilete Festival, Guatemala“…where the tradition dates back to the Mayans who would fill the skies to ward off bad spirits…”The Zilker Kite Festival, USA” held in March in Austin, Texas the kite festival has meant almost only one thing for the past 90 years: the Zilker Kite Festival. Long before the famed SXSW music festival, the city founded its kite fest to encourage creativity in kids…ahhh kids and kites…” The Festival of the Winds“, is held in Sydney in September a coastal kite flying bonanza. Bondi’s beautiful beaches welcome enthusiasts parading their handmade creations, the free event has been held there for more than four decades and crowds today are entertained by plentiful food stalls, kite-making workshops and art installations it sounds like a kite flyers dream…

Did you know?…  Kite Flying Day falls on 8th February?

The Paper Kite is a member of the nymph butterfly group and is a favourite of butterfly lovers from around the world because of its bright looks. The creatures have two ruling colours on their wings – black and white…they are very beautiful.

These beautiful butterflies other common names White tree nymph, large tree nymph, rice paper butterfly…

The Paper kite butterfly is the largest member of the milkweed butterfly family.

Since the larvae survive on venomous host plants on Parsonsia species, both the butterfly and the larva are poisonous…Native to Asia from Thailand to Malaysia, the Philippines and Southern Taiwan this butterfly u=is also found in Southern Australia…they dwell mostly in the mangroves swamps of primarily coastal areas.

A singer and songwriter who has charted in her native U.K., Lucie Silvas debuted her soulful voice and earnest, adult alternative pop in 2004 with Breathe …

That’s all for Saturday Snippets today I hope you have enjoyed reading this post please feel free to leave a comment as you know I love to chat…see you tomorrow for my weekly roundup…Have a great weekend …xx