Culture - Sports

Kate festival mirrors Cham people’s rich culture

Kate festival, the largest of the Cham ethnic people in the central province of Ninh Thuan in the year, aims to honour male deities and ancestors who extended great help to people.
Kate festival, thelargest of the Cham ethnic people in the central province of Ninh Thuanin the year, aims to honour male deities and ancestors whoextended great help to people.

Kate festival takes place in the seventh month of the Cham people’s calendar and it usually falls in October.

Festival activities are held in three tower temples in Ninh Thuanprovince at the same time and on the same day. The rituals are similarin content.

It includes a ceremony to receive Goddess Po Nagar's costumes in Huu Duc hamlet, Phuoc Huu commune, Ninh Phuoc district.

Goddess Po Nagar is said to be the ancestor of the Cham people whotaught them how to grow rice and cotton, weave clothing and carry outcultural activities in their daily lives.

All the royalcostumes at Cham tower temples are kept by the Raglai people. Therefore,at the Kate festival, the Cham people have to perform a ceremony towelcome the Ragrai people who bring the costumes to the Cham towertemples.

The ceremony starts at 1.30 pm and ends at 9 pm in the hamlet's temple.

Offerings to Goddess Po Nagar include betel and areca, eggs, chicken, fruits and Tet cake.

Thefestival is also an occasion where the participants can enjoy uniquefolk singing, dancing and music. They can dance with Cham people andrelax with Gi nang drumming and Saranai trumpeting. The festival servesas evidence for the cultural richness of the Vietnamese.

Apart from festive activities in the community, the Cham people also celebrate the festival in their families.

In the past, the festival usually lasted for one month in their families but today, it is shortened to three days.

On the first day, family members gather to prepare traditional cakes and offerings.

On the second day, they join rituals at pagodas.

On the third day, they conduct worship to implore ancestors and deities to support them in life.

Onthis occasion, each family prepares cakes and fruits to inviterelatives and friends to visit and congratulate each other.

Thereare about 153,000 Cham people in Vietnam, including approximately72,500 people in Ninh Thuan, who live in 22 hamlets.

The Cham people in Ninh Thuan still preserve several unique folk festivals like Kate, Ramawan and Rija Nagar.-VNA

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