Ninh Thuan (VNA) - The ethnicCham Brahman people in the central province of Ninh Thuan on October 19 begantheir celebration of the Kate festival, their most important event in the year.
The same day, a ceremony to receive acertificate recognising the Kate festival as a national intangible heritage wasalso held.
Thousands of Cham people along withvisitors participated in various activities of the festival in Po Inungarshrine, Po Klong Girai and Po Rome towers. The festival was attended by IndianAmbassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish and his spouse, local authorities andrepresentatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
On the occasion, many delegations from theParty Committee, the People’s Council and the Vietnam Fatherland Front of NinhThuan province visited and presented gifts to dignitaries and policy beneficiariesin the locality.
Falling on the first day of the seventhmonth of the Cham calendar, Kate is the most popular Cham festival in NinhThuan. It reminds the ethnic Brahman community of their ancient gods anddelivers wishes for bumper harvests and the growth of all beings.
The Cham people have several distinctivefestivals including the Ramuwan, the Rija Nugar, and the Chabun.
There are about 153,000 Cham people inVietnam, approximately 72,500 of them live in Ninh Thuan. Over 43,000 Champeople, scattered across 12 communes in seven districts of Ninh Thuan, followthe Brahmin religion.-VNA