A gasing is a spinning top, but that undersells it. Kelantan’s gasing uri is a hefty disc of hardwood, sometimes weighing several kilograms, carved and weighted with real care. Launched with a thick cord by a skilled thrower, a good one can spin for an hour or more, lifted onto a small wooden post to keep going while the crowd watches the time.
It is a grown-up pursuit here, traditionally tied to the rhythm of the rice year and taken up competitively, with throwers and top-makers who have spent decades perfecting weight, balance and technique. Making the top is half the art; throwing it cleanly is the other half.
Like the moon kite, gasing is one of those Kelantan crafts that surprises newcomers with how seriously it is kept. You can see it demonstrated at the Gelanggang Seni in Kota Bharu, listed on the Gelanggang Seni page and the wider Events section.