Traditionally, the Nepalese looked at kite flying as a martial art and would use their kites to fight other kites. The kites had a section towards the end of the string that was hand coated in crushed glass and boiled slug gum. This section of the string is called the maajhaa. The idea behind the maajhaa was to use it as a weapon to slice another kite flyer's string, sending it to the will of the winds and defeat.
Today, in the city of Katmandu, there is a a festival called Dasain. It is a harvest festival occurring in the early fall in which fighter-kite, kite flying takes place. People fly their kites from the roof tops and aim to cut their opponents' strings. While the maajhaa is still made with crushed glass, most people buy pre made ones that use other forms of glue than slug gum.
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