Adelaide International Kite Festival, Australia

© Andrey Moisseyev/Alam

Adelaide International Kite Festival, Australia

Is there a simpler joy than flying a kite on a windy day? The date of this magical invention is unknown, but the first written documentation of kite flying comes from China in 200 BCE. There they were initially used to measure distance, but over the years they have been tapped for fishing, sport, science, celebration, communication, and recreation. Kites can take many shapes and be made of various materials, but all of them have a wing surface, a tether, and a bridle that keeps the surface at an angle to the wind. In fact, you can easily make your own, and believe us when we say this, there’s no joy purer than the joy of seeing your kite fly high!