The Cham people of Bac Binh district joyfully celebrate Katê.

BTO-Katê is a festival that commemorates ancestors and prays for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and prosperity. Katê also symbolizes fertility, praying for harmony between couples, and the flourishing of humanity and all things.

When we arrived at the home of Ms. Lu Nguyen Thi Phuong Ai in Phan Thanh commune, we saw everyone bustling about preparing for the Katê festival. Everyone had a task to do, from the elderly, women, and young girls to young men, all pitching in with both light and heavy work.

In the spacious grounds of Ms. Ai's house, the place filled with laughter and conversation is where the women make various kinds of cakes. Traditional cakes like banh tet, banh gan tay, and banh ginger are indispensable during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). With meticulous care and attention to detail, each cake takes shape through skillful hands.

Nearby, Mr. Van Vinh Lac's family was also preparing for their traditional New Year celebration. According to Mr. Lac, the Cham people highly value blood relations, kinship, and family life. Therefore, Katê is an occasion for visiting relatives and friends, similar to the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year. On this occasion, Cham people who follow Brahmanism are also eagerly anticipating a new year of thanksgiving to their ancestors and the deities for the favorable weather and abundant harvests.

At Po Nit Temple in Phan Hiep commune, a day before the main Katê festival, the atmosphere was quite lively. As if by prior arrangement, everyone gathered here to help prepare for the festival at the temple. Laughter mingled with the skillful movements of their hands. Despite the wrinkles on their faces and the less nimble their hands, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Xi never missed a year here to enjoy the atmosphere of the traditional festival of the Cham community practicing Brahmanism. This year, the women unanimously agreed to make all kinds of cakes to offer to their ancestors, with 15 kg of ginger cake alone. It was tiring but very enjoyable. So everyone enthusiastically worked on one task after another, one cake after another.

While the adults gathered to make cakes and cook, the Cham boys and girls busily practiced their cultural performances for the official festival. Everyone wanted to be meticulous and thorough in every detail, as a sincere offering to their ancestors. In the small space behind the house, all the necessary items were laid out. The family members had also gathered. Those who lived far away came to this day, reuniting with family and relatives. Tet (Lunar New Year) is a day of reunion, a day of gathering. They return on this meaningful day to rest, exchange greetings, and be with their loved ones. They gather together and feel the happiness that their ancestors bring. Each of them wanted to prepare the offerings meticulously and carefully, as a sincere offering to their ancestors.

The decorations for the procession of King Po-nit to the temple were meticulously arranged by the District's Cultural, Information and Sports Center with vibrant flags and flowers. The road leading to the Po-nit temple in Phan Hiep commune was bustling with conversations, greetings, and bursts of laughter. Everything was ready for the Katê Festival, with the procession of the sacred relics on the 1st day of the 7th month of the Cham calendar, which falls on October 14, 2023.

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