Games We Played When We Were Children (Part One)

It is the computer age. Almost every child during this age find satisfaction by playing games using computerized gadgets. Games today are not only for the young but also for anyone of any age who can understand and find enjoyment in the games. But not during my younger days. Then (late '60's up to middle '70's), the games we played were for us. People older or younger than us have their own games.

So, what were our games or sources of fulfillment then?

1. The Kite (saranggola) - Except for the time when The Fort (Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City) was still being developed, I do not see anyone flying a kite now. In our time, December to early January are kite months. They were considered windy months. In our place in Mandaluyong, we use to have lots of vacant lots (we call "parang") where we can run long enough to give our kites the push to gather wind and fly. What was interesting was we made our own kites. We use newspapers, paper packages, or calendar sheets. The skeleton of our kites were made of broom or bamboo sticks. And for most of us, excess cooked rice were use to paste them together. Nylon or the ordinary strings rolled around used milk cans were used to fly them. At times, when we want to compete by trying to cut the string of the other kite, we glue finely broken glasses around the strings. But we rarely do this because it was never fun. Kites of different sizes, shapes and designs were made. You will be considered a very good kite maker if your kite does not need a tail. The tail usually keeps the kite steady. To be able to make and fly a kite without a tail means that you have made a balanced kite. Having made the kite, though, was half the task. We must be able to fly them. The feeling of just sitting on a place while watching and maneuvering a flown kite was the fullness of the activity. The mere success of being able to fly a kite already made our day fulfilled. The task of bringing down the kite was an art itself. You do not just bring it down. We needed to feel the strength of the wind and keep the kite balanced. Otherwise, the string might not be able to withstand the wind or the kite would circle around and make a disastrous landing.We were very lucky if we finally go home in the afternoon still having our kite. Usually, one kite was enough for the day. 

No doubt, kite flying gave us physical, psychological, social, and spiritual fulfillment.