Cambodia holds 15th kite flying festival

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 kite flyers from 19 cities and provinces in Cambodia on Saturday took part in the annual kite flying festival at Phnom Penh's Diamond Island.
Kites are adhered to the daily lives of Cambodian farmers and it's the habits of rural Cambodians to cast kites during the rice harvest season, Thai Norak Sathya, secretary of state of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, told the ceremony.
"The kite festival is to preserve Khmer culture and tradition and to promote kites to next generation Cambodians,"he said. "It is also an event to attract foreign tourists to Cambodia."
Khmer kites have been existing for more than 2,000 years since pre-historic era.
At the event, hundreds of kites made in the forms of various animals, birds and objects were flown.
The winner-kite was judged by its beauty and high and stable flying.