Preserving the Katê Festival

In Vietnam's cultural heritage, the influence of Cham culture is clearly evident in many aspects such as architecture, customs and traditions, sculpture, festivals, performing arts, pottery, weaving, etc. Among these, the Katê Festival is particularly distinctive, a gathering place for the cultural values ​​of the Cham people.

With the guidance and support of all levels of government, the community of religious leaders and the Cham Brahman people in the province have joined hands to effectively preserve and promote the values ​​of the festival, contributing to building a vibrant cultural life at the grassroots level and creating opportunities to promote the image of Vietnam in general and Cham culture in particular to domestic and international friends and tourists.

Highlights of the Katê Festival

Katê is the biggest festival of the year for the Cham people who follow Brahmanism. This year, the festival takes place from October 1st to 3rd, and is held at three Cham temples and towers: Po Klong Garai Tower (Phan Rang - Thap Cham City), Po Rome Tower and Po Ina Nagar Temple (Ninh Phuoc).

The annual Katê festival attracts many tourists. Photo: Thai Huy

The ceremonial part of the festival includes activities such as: carrying ceremonial garments up the tower, the opening ceremony of the tower, bathing and dressing the statues, and the grand ceremony. The atmosphere is enhanced by folk dances accompanied by the melodious music of the Kanhi instrument; lively and joyful with the sounds of the Ghi-nang and Baranung drums... After the main ceremony, the Katê Festival continues in the villages, clans, and families of the Cham Brahman people. This is also an opportunity for Cham people living abroad to return home to reunite with their relatives and families. To create a joyful atmosphere in the festival, Cham villages also organize diverse cultural and artistic activities and community-building games such as: carrying water, stick pushing, traditional dances, Ariya chanting... attracting the participation of a large number of Cham people and tourists from all over. All of this creates a vibrant Katê Festival rich in Cham cultural identity.

"Keeping the flame alive" for cultural heritage.

According to the Council of Cham Brahman Religious Leaders of Ninh Thuan province, the Katê Festival has been preserved quite intact to this day, from the time, space, sequence, and methods of performing the rituals, the participants in the ceremonies, the costumes, the offerings, to the rituals performed by the religious leaders participating in the ceremony... This result is a "summary" of the joint efforts of many individuals, groups, and communities in preserving, maintaining, and promoting the festival. In particular, over the past time, the provincial authorities have paid attention to and implemented many solutions and tasks in the work of preserving and honoring the tangible and intangible values ​​related to the Katê Festival in particular and Cham culture in general. Specifically, departments, agencies, and localities have coordinated to build, prepare, and submit scientific dossiers requesting relevant agencies to consider and recognize them. For example, in 2017, the Katê Festival of the Cham people of Ninh Thuan province was recognized and included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage; Most recently, the Phuoc Thien stele and the statue of King Po Klong Garai have been recognized as two national treasures... Simultaneously, the province has invested in comprehensive infrastructure, connectivity, and organizing the Katê Festival with scenic spots to attract tourists to visit and learn about the value of the heritage, contributing to the creation of attractive tourism products.

The Council of Cham Brahman Religious Leaders discussed plans for organizing the Katê Festival 2024.

Within the Cham Brahman community, religious leaders, researchers, artisans, and respected individuals are making positive contributions to the preservation and promotion of festivals through practical and meaningful actions. A prime example is Mr. Quang Van Dai from Phuoc Hau commune (Ninh Phuoc district), considered a "treasure" of the Cham people. Driven by a desire to document and preserve many Cham cultural values, for over 40 years, Mr. Dai has dedicated his time to traveling throughout Cham villages, recording the customs and traditions of the Cham people and translating ancient Cham documents and texts into Vietnamese, including many documents related to the rituals and ceremonies of the Katê Festival. He currently possesses approximately 200 ancient Cham documents and texts, some dating back over 100 years. Or, a team of respected Cham people can participate in campaigning, disseminating, and spreading the unique values ​​of Katê to local people, especially to the younger generation, helping them better understand their responsibilities and roles in continuing to "keep the flame alive" for the heritage in the process of international integration and expanding cultural exchange.

According to Venerable Dong Ba, Vice Chairman of the Council of Cham Brahman Religious Leaders of Ninh Thuan province: In recent times, Ninh Thuan province has created favorable conditions for the people to organize the Katê Festival in a solemn and large-scale manner, fostering connection and unity within the Cham ethnic community in particular and the people of the province in general. At the same time, provincial and local leaders have shown concern, visited, and encouraged religious dignitaries, policy beneficiary families, and some other families... This is the motivation and strength for the Cham people to continue preserving the festival intact; striving and contributing to building a more developed and prosperous Ninh Thuan homeland. Through this, they contribute to building a Vietnamese culture rich in national identity.

Le Thi

Source: http://baoninhthuan.com.vn/news/149567p1c29/bao-ton-le-hoi-kate.htm