Cham people in Lam Dong are excited about the Kate festival season.

For the Cham people, the Kate festival is the most important event of the year to commemorate the deceased and national heroes (who are honored as gods by the Cham people). The Cham people celebrate the Kate festival in two stages: Stage 1 in the 7th month of the Cham calendar (9th month of the lunar calendar) with worship and celebration in the morning and stage 2 in the 9th month of the Cham calendar (11th month of the lunar calendar) with worship in the afternoon.

During this time, people gather at ancient temples and towers to enjoy Cham folk dances and music. People rest, are filled with joy, and visit and congratulate each other. The festival is divided into two parts: the ceremony and the festival.

The Kate Festival is organized on a large scale in each village, followed by the festival of each family. All family members gather together, with a celebrant. The celebrant is often chosen as the head of the household, an elder, or the head of the clan. The traditional Kate Festival offerings include sticky rice, banh cap, banh it, banana bunches, gingerbread, sweet soup... In which, the sticky rice dish is considered a symbol of the heart and sincerity of descendants to their ancestors.

One of the important rituals at this year's Kate Festival is the procession of Goddess Po Sah Inư at Po Sah Inư tower. Goddess Po Sah Inư (daughter of King Para Chanh) is a virtuous and humble person, highly respected by the Cham people. People believe that Goddess Po Sah Inư is the one who taught people how to grow rice, weave brocade, cultivate crops, raise animals, etc.

The Cham people in Lam Dong have over 43,000 people, living concentrated in communes of Binh Thuan province (old). Up to now, there are 5/5 Cham relics ranked at national level and 6/6 relics at provincial level. Many relics have become indispensable destinations in tours and tourist routes, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists such as.

There are two heritages included in the list of national intangible cultural heritages by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, including: Traditional pottery craft of the Cham people in Binh Duc village, Bac Binh commune; Kate festival of the Cham people and two national treasures: golden Linga and Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh.

There is also a collection of Cham Royal heritage kept and preserved at the family of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Them in Tinh My village, Hong Thai commune.

The Kate Festival at Po Sah Inu Tower was restored in 2005 and is held annually. The event has met the spiritual and emotional needs of the Cham people and has become the soul of cultural and spiritual activities, containing many values of folk beliefs and religions.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/van-hoa/dong-bao-cham-o-lam-dong-hao-huc-vao-mua-le-hoi-kate--i785270/