Kite Night

Evening brings a new dimension to Kite Day.

Night brings time for what I call "candle kites". I'll have to find out the real name …

This year, I bought a candle kite. This "Made in China" kite/balloon uses a candle to create hot air, and it floats across the sky. Last year I thought watching these in the evening was the best part of Kite Day.

The instructions are even more inscrutable than the usual English translations on Chinese products. I've kept this scan full-size so that if you want, you can download the full-size scan and read for yourself. (Or maybe you know someone who reads Mandarin.) Alternatively, you can just read below.

Here are the instructions, verbatim, including punctuation, capitalization, and line breaks:

1: After the distribution of fuel to packaging equipment

Kong Cross wire in the side of the field again deduction presses

The fuel-pressure lock firmly.

2: A person XuYuan light take up a Top;

Another person fuel ignited the four angle.

3: Wait for that the heat enough light, lanterns person lest loose

A top hand,changes grips under the light to encircle, Has when

the lifting force may let go releases for flying.

4: XuYuan light rose slowly the sky, do not forget Wishing oh

Got that? Safety instructions follow:

Notice item:

1: Should choose at the option open, calm environment released

for flight.No fire ban in areas,  the tall building the floor, and

so on have covers under the thing to release for flight, must leave

outside the airport 10 kilomters from flying.

2: XuYuan light can only be used for the distribution the

special-purposeof fuel,prohibited by any burning Replace.

3: XuYuan light are on the rise, that of the flying, cannot the long

time not put, and the Flight not to be append the foreign body.

4: Children must be under the custody of the adults use.

Now you're an expert in flying this kite!

We did figure out how to make it work -- at least enough to get it floating through the sky.

The hot air will be contained in a tissue-paper heart-shaped bag. At the bottom is a hoop with cross-wires to which you finagle to attach the lump of paraffin that burns to produce heat (and light).

All lit and ready to launch as soon as it inflates and gets buoyant.

I didn't get a good picture of our in the air -- it just looked like a red blob like these two other balloons in the sky.

Three more balloons floating through the Vapi night.

What happens when the fuel runs out? The kite comes down, obviously. I'm really surprised that no fires are started. When we went up to the roof to launch our kite/balloon, we had a "used" balloon on our terrace -- still smoldering somewhat. But since there's nothing up there to catch fire, it was harmless.

And as a bonus on a lovely evening:

Orion shines through Vapi's light- and soot-polluted air. Of course, it can't compare to rural Africa, where even the Orion nebula was visible to the naked eye during twilight. That gave us an inkling of what the skies must have been like 150 years ago, before the advent of electric lights. (BTW, for those interested, this is a 1-sec exposure at ISO 800.)