Monsoon Cup's ‘wau’ factor

by Monsoon Cup 2010 Media on 2 Dec 2010 The second day of the Monsoon Cup saw the spectators brave the heavy rain to visit the Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort and Spa to catch the best sailors in action.

The crowd were also entertained by the numerous side events which are being held around the venue, one of which is Wau Bulan – Moon Kite – making.

On hand to teach the public about the traditional kites is Musa Said, a fifth generation kite maker from Gong Tok Nasek, a small village about 15 kilometres from the home of the Monsoon Cup.

“I’m delighted to play a small part in making the surrounding area lively by showing the public how to make a Wau,” said the 35-year-old Musa. “Actually, I was surprised so many people have come up to see how I make a kite.

“There will also be a Wau flying exhibition on Saturday and Sunday and that will be even more exciting.”

For the uninitiated, a Wau Bulan is bigger than any other Malaysian traditional kite and it gets its name from the crescent moon-like shape of its lower section.

The typical size is 2.5 meters in width and 3.5 meters in length. This makes the decorations painted on the kite's body to be visible when it is flown high in the air. To make it more distinctive, Wau Bulan is normally decorated with large, strong-coloured patterns.

Besides Wau Bulan, the other side events include Sukan Rakyat, traditional games, cultural performances, traditional music and artists performances.

Side events schedule

Wednesday-Sunday, Dec 1-5
10am-6pm:
Sukan Rakyat, Sponsors Exhibition, Wau Making Demo, Winching Station, Terengganu 7 District Exhibition, Traditional Games corner, food kiosks
4.30-6.30pm:
Stage Activities – Cultural Performance, Artists Performance, Traditional Music, Karaoke

Friday, Dec 3
9.00am-3.00pm:
Blood donation by Hospital Tuanku Nur Zahirah
3.00pm:
Jamuan Rakyat
8.00pm:
Monsoon Cup concert prelude

Saturday, Dec 4
8am-1.00pm:
Monsoon Cup fishing competition
2.00-5.00pm:
Children’s colouring contest
2.30-5.00pm:
Wau flying

Sunday, Dec 5
2.30pm-5pm:
Wau flying
9.00pm:
Rentak Monsoon Cup@TV9