A 'Wau Bulan' Video for the viewers

I made this video for you dear readers. I really really hope that you will understand more on the 'Wau Bulan' and get the message. It is my pleasure.:)

The Legend of Wau Bulan

Dear readers. How are you? Im sorry for keeping the next post for too long. I've been busy with my schedule and it is really sad seeing my juniors(The Asasians of 2010-2011) graduated. Some might continue pursuing TeSL but some are NOT. Well, it's alright. Let's move on to our Wau Bulan.:)

Today, I am going to tell you the legend behind the 'Wau Bulan'. One of the Malaysian official kites. The Wau Bulan is not merely a traditional Malay kite for it has it's own mystical story to be told.

The Wau Bulan's name takes place after the shape of the moon. The tail of the Wau is the reason behind this because it resembles a crescent. The 'Wau Bulan' is known for its easy handling and stability during strong winds.

The origin of the Wau Bulan has been said during the days of the Sriwijaya Empire, where according to legend, a young prince named 'Dewa Muda' utilised the usage of the Wau by mapping out the districts he had conquered on it. He will then display the 'Wau' to his people.

It started where he would first go deep into a cave to meditate and experience spiritual premonitions before setting off to war. When he is ready to leave the cave, he usually emerges with a wire frame of what was believed to be the wire frame of a 'Wau Bulan'.

The fine patterns of flowers and leaves were said to have symbolised the districts he had successfully conquered. Therefore, everytime he returns from a battle, the flowers and leaf patterns on his Wau will continue to grow. It symbolises the strength of his empire, much to the pride and delight of his people.

Apart from that, according to fabled beliefs, it is said that 'Dewa Muda' had a spiritual link to his wau. some believed that he had gained special spiritual guidance by flying up to the heavens on his 'Wau Bulan' and cultivated a spiritual relationship with the inhabitants of another world.

Today, the 'Wau Bulan' present in the modern society has evolved with a more up to date look compared to its original design.The upper and lower part of the Wau increased in length compared to the originally rounded shape. Where else, the busur(string) attached to the head of the Wau emits a coarser sound compared to the softer sounds made by the wau Bulan in yesteryears.

~(^_^)~

The Koreans enjoying the 'Wau Bulan'

Day 2- Practising the Wau Bulan

Selamat Sejahtera para pembaca. :) That is Good day dear readers in Bahasa Malaysia. Now, it is the second day the Koreans learn how to dance 'Wau Bulan'. Compared to the first day where they had a 'culture shock', they are being more anticipated on the second day. They are more confident and not afraid to ask even though, not everyone of them has the proficiency in English. Yes, some of them are still shy but, they did ask questions.

They had a lecture in the morning and they seemed very tired sitting still in the library Intec lecture hall non-stop for about 4 to 5 hours. One by one got out of the lecture hall stretching their body. They need to stretch. Therefore, before they had their tea, we had another session practising the 'Wau Bulan' in Tesl Square. So that they will not get totally worn out because there will be more activities to come.

They were excited right after they were informed that they will be doing the 'Wau Bulan'. As an instructor, I did not have to do as much work as yesterday to persuade them to try. Today, they do it because they want to. I am so proud with their improvement from day to day.

One thing that I am amazed with them is their courage to ask questions whenever they don't know. They are not shy when it comes to asking questions. We should learn that from them..~

~(^_^)~

The Koreans enjoying the 'Wau Bulan'

Day 1- Practising the Wau Bulan

Greeting dear readers. For this post, I am going to do a 'follow up' on the Korean's activities learning the 'Wau Bulan'. After teaching them how to sing the 'Wau Bulan' song, the committees and I taught them how to dance the 'Wau Bulan'. The movement is a fusion of 'Dikir Barat' and traditional 'Malay dance'. It was difficult for me to do the choreography because they were in a big group. But, nothing is impossible. These are some of the progress by the Korean from day 2.

On the first day, the Koreans find it difficult to follow because they are still adapting to the 'English language' as the medium of communication. There was difficulties in instructing them at first. It was because they were tired of their long journey in the plane and lack of sleep. Somehow, they still try and learn despite of their fatigue.

We had our first session in the Angsana Hall but when it stopped raining we continue the session in tthe Tesl Square. There were not many students in the Tesl Square because it was a Sunday.

I am glad they enjoy their first session and some of them managed to memorize the 'Wau Bulan'. They are amazing.

~(^_^)~

A Whole New Experience with WAU BULAN..:)

Good Evening readers! Today's post is going to be a bit different with the previous post about the 'Wau Bulan'. I decided to share my experience teaching the Koreans how to sing and dance the 'Wau Bulan' in this post. It was an unforgettable experience for the Koreans and myself. :)

On the 15th until 21stJanuary2011, the Faculty of Education UiTM Shah Alam conducted a 'Student Exchange Program' in collaboration with the 'Kyung Hee University' from South Korea. The faculty acted as the host while the Koreans were the participants. There were 24 Korean students and 2 of their professors. I was one of the student committees appointed for the program. I held the responsibility of conducting cultural activities for I have wide e

xperience in traditional dance and Malay culture.

My job was to teach a local traditional dance to the Koreans. I chose the 'Wau Bulan' for it has a catchy and lively melody. Besides, everybody(the committees and UiTM students) know the song. So, they will be able

to sing and dance along to the 'Wau Bulan'. Here, I am going to showyou the progress of the teaching from the start till the end.

• Sunday, January 16th 2011

Session 1

On the welcoming day, which is Sunday, I got the dancers from Prisma Seni to perform the Wau Bulan for the Koreans.

That was was a short yet sweet introduction to them.

These are the

dancers. They were wearing the One Malaysia costumes.

Some of the Korean students who voluntered

to try the 'Wau Bulan' with the dancers.

These are the reactions we got from the Koreans.

They were excited to see the 'Wau Bulan'.

Session 2

We had the 2nd session after lunch where

it was the turn for the COMMITTEES to demonstrate

the 'Wau Bulan' to the Koreans.

Session 3

After that, we first taught them how to sing the 'Wau Bulan'song. We show the lyrics on the slide and taught them the melody. It took quite a while to teach them the pronunciation. Apart from that, everything was alright.

~(^_^)~

Wau Bulan.

Hello readers! Last week, I have explained to you about the song 'Wau Bulan'.Somehow, I have a hunch saying that you are more curious on the 'Wau Bulan' which is our traditional Malaysian kite itself. Why the shape of the kite is in that way? Why does the olden days people create the Wau Bulan? These questions must have been haunting your mind for the past few days.

But please. Don't worry.

I am here to help for I am going to satisfy your curiosity by answering those questions. :)

~waaw- the Arabic letter~

Do you know that the word 'WAU' is believed to have been derived from the Arabic letter ' و'. The letter is pronounced as 'waaw'. Similar to the wau. This is because the shape of the wing resembles the outline of the particular letter. You can refer to the picture of the 'Wau bulan' below and you may compare it to the letter 'و'. Besides the esthetical shape, the kite has a sharp front which looks like a 'spear' to give an aerodynamic characteristic which helps it to move across strong winds.

~ a flying Wau Bulan~

In the past, farmers used the wau as a sort of flying scarecrow to ward off birds from their paddy field. Apart from that, it was also mentioned that the sounds made by the 'wau' once it was airborne, lull their children to sleep. Why? The 'Wau Bulan' made a coarse and masculine sound which terrifies the children. This gave the farmers ample time to grow their crops without any distraction.

Here, we have just learned a new fact about 'Wau Bulan'. It is not merely a traditional kite which act as traditional games. Instead, it serves farmers to chase away crows and other birds from destroying their crops. We should learn from the olden days people who have been so creative in boosting their agricultural products. Aren't we proud to have the 'Wau Bulan'? It is not just mesmerizing in terms of look and creation but VERY USEFUL and meritorious at the same time..

~(^_^)~ enjoy reading..!

Ewah ewah. Ewah bulan.

Ewah ewah. Ewah bulan.

Ewah bulan. Teraju tiga.

Ewah ewah. Ewah bulan.

Ewah bulan. Teraju tiga.

Ini malam, sama-sama.

Sama-sama bersukaria.

Ini malam. Sama-sama.

Sama-sama bersukaria.

Greetings dear readers! I am going to start my blog today with the verses from 'Wau bulan', which is a popular Kelantanese folk song. I believe that 99% of Malaysians are familiar with the song. So, what happen to the 1%? Well, they are still babies who can't sing yet. It shows that everyone in Malaysia knows this song. Our mothers used to lullaby us with this all-time favourite folk song for it is simple, yet beautiful.

~wau bulan~

Have you ever wondered, what the song is mainly about, whenever your mouth is humming the tune of this catchy and lively song? Yes! You are right. The song is actually about the 'wau' itself where it stands for its name, 'Wau Bulan'(Malaysian traditional kite).

The song was produced spontaneously long long ago by a man whose feeling was filled with excitement and happiness while playing the 'Wau Bulan'. The first verse mentioned about the kite. How amazing it is to see the 'Wau Bulan' soaring high in the sky. Where in the second verse, it is described that the people would gather among themselves for a fiesta at night after a 'Wau Bulan' is flown during the day.The Wau Bulan is the symbol of happiness and joyous to the people.

~ a Kelantanese man with the 'Wau Bulan'~

~(^_^)~ enjoy reading...!