The unique Kate festival of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan

(Dan Tri) - Kate is the biggest festival of the year for the Cham people who follow Brahmanism to commemorate gods, kings, and ancestors. This year, the Kate festival attracted a large number of tourists to participate and learn about Cham culture.

On October 2 (July 1 of the Cham calendar), the Cham people following Brahmanism in Ninh Thuan province entered the Kate festival season with the participation of thousands of locals and tourists. Po Klong Garai tower area (Phan Rang - Thap Cham city, Ninh Thuan) is one of three locations to hold the Kate festival in Ninh Thuan province.

From early morning, the roads leading to Po Klong Garai tower (Do Vinh ward, Phan Rang - Thap Cham city) were crowded with Cham people and tourists. During the Kate festival, the worship day at the tower is considered an important activity and attracts a large number of tourists to participate.

According to custom, during the Kate festival, Cham people will bring offerings to Cham towers such as Po Klong Garai, Po Inư Nưgar, and Po Rome. From 6am, many people took the opportunity to carry offerings and climb the stairs to Po Klong Garai tower.

Kate is the most important festival of the Cham people who follow Brahmanism, held once a year. The festival is held to commemorate the gods and offer offerings to ancestors with sincere prayers for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, bountiful harvests, good health, and family prosperity. The Cham people display offerings to worship their ancestors, kings, gods, etc. at the Po Klong Garai tower. The offerings below the tower depend on each family's wishes, such as rice, soup, chicken, fruit, candy, etc.

A Cham family's tray of five fruits and betel and areca nuts is displayed on the ground next to the Po Klong Garai tower. At the foot of the tower, there is an area where families express their sincerity with offerings of their choice, including familiar fruits such as sugarcane, rambutan, longan, dragon fruit, oranges and some betel and areca nuts. People also offer chicken, rice, soup, eggs, salt, and candy.

Before that, dignitaries and the young generation of the Cham people led the procession carrying the costumes of King Po Klong Garai (the king who had great contributions to the Cham people) from the village to Po Klong Garai tower.

Following the procession were young girls dancing gracefully with many Cham people and tourists from all over the world. This year's festival was organized with great joy and many activities, attracting many domestic and foreign tourists to participate.

The main ceremony was held at Po Klong Garai tower. In the ancient tower space, the representative of the Cham community expressed their remembrance and gratitude to the gods and ancestors who had blessed them with favorable weather, good crops, and prosperity for every family...

After the ceremony, young girls performed traditional art to welcome the festival and showcased the unique art of the Cham people. In the next three days, in the villages of the Cham community, people organized many fun activities to welcome the festival, visit and wish each other all the best.

Thien Sam (30 years old, Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan) shared: "I have been working in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 10 years, but every Kate festival, I always arrange time to return to my hometown to celebrate the festival and reunite with my family. Friends in the neighborhood who are studying or working far away all arrange to come back to attend the festival. The festival is not only a cultural tradition of the Cham people, but it also helps strengthen family and neighborhood ties."

A large number of locals and tourists enjoyed the cultural program at the Kate festival in the Po Klong Garai tower area.

In 2017, the Kate Festival of the Cham people was included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Kate Festival has contributed to preserving, maintaining and promoting cultural values. This is also an opportunity to promote the image of the locality to domestic and foreign tourists.

Dantri.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/dac-sac-le-hoi-kate-cua-dong-bao-cham-o-ninh-thuan-20241002121226137.htm