Expo 2020 Dubai: Hundreds of 'butterfly-shaped kites' to take to the skies

Kite flying has been a traditional pastime for children in Malaysia for centuries.

The Malaysia Pavilion is reviving this leisure activity through its monthly 'My Butterfly Kite flying' event, where visitors, children and families, can join in the fun and fly butterfly-shaped kites.

The upcoming kite flying event is scheduled for Sunday, January 30, at Al Forsan Park, Expo 2020 Dubai from 3pm until 5pm. Children and adults can play with the kites at the kite flying event, with 250 pieces to be given out for them to take home.

There will also be quizzes with great prizes up for grabs, stated a press release from the Malaysian Pavilion.

Michelle Lau, Malaysia pavilion director said, "Making and flying kites was a popular pastime in Malaysia, however, it has decreased in popularity since the onset of technology. Traditional kite craftsmen can still be found in certain states like Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis."

She adds, "Known as 'wau' in Malay, kites are forged with great skill and care in order to create the biggest, most beautifully designed kite, and most importantly, that soars the highest. These kites come in all shapes, sizes and colours but the most well-known is the "wau bulan" (moon kite), which is one of Malaysia's national symbols."

The monthly kite flying event is not only to celebrate a tradition but also aims to create awareness of the pavilion's #MyButterflyEffect brand campaign. The social campaign aims to create a "butterfly effect" of green growth ideas.

The original butterfly effect concept comes from the chaos theory made popular by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz. According to the theory a small action in one place can create a bigger impact elsewhere and Malaysia, through its participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, aims to set an example to promote and inspire sustainable actions.

Lau added: "Our Pavilion is proudly Net Zero Carbon as an example of our sustainability commitments for Expo 2020 Dubai. We want to imprint the importance of sustainability on the minds of our visitors and event participants."

"The butterfly kite flying event is a terrific opportunity for us to create awareness of the #MyButterflyEffect brand campaign and what each of us can do to contribute to a better tomorrow. We hope that every time someone flies one of our beautiful butterfly kites or sees a butterfly, it will remind them of how their actions will affect the future."