Turning Kate Festival into a unique tourism product

Kate is a large festival, of great significance, with many impacts on the spirituality, beliefs, religions, and emotions of the Cham Brahman community, taking place annually (from the end of June and lasting until mid-July of the Cham calendar) in a very large space according to traditional rituals; is a place that strongly expresses the spirit of solidarity, so that everyone in the community can turn to their roots, traditional culture, and ancestors.

Kate Festival is one of the five unique festivals of Binh Thuan province included in the List of typical local festivals that need to be preserved and promoted to serve tourism development. Notably, on April 4, 2022, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 776/QD-BVHTTDL to include the Kate Festival of the Cham people of Binh Thuan province in the List of national intangible cultural heritage.

Based on that value and meaning, the People's Committee of Binh Thuan province approved the Project "Preserving and promoting the Kate festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan province to serve tourism development" to preserve, maintain and promote the value of the Kate festival to serve the religious and belief activities of the people, contributing to promoting local socio -economic development.

Kate Festival of Cham people in Binh Thuan province. Photo: Bao Trung

According to the above Project, Binh Thuan province emphasizes the following solutions: Strengthening coordination between the province's functional departments and branches with authorities at all levels, agencies, sectors, unions and People's Committees of districts and cities in the management and direction of professional expertise in the management and organization of the Festival.

In addition to promoting and widely promoting the meaning, value and uniqueness of the Festival, the locality will also increase State investment resources, mobilize resources from domestic and foreign enterprises, organizations and individuals to sponsor activities to restore and embellish temples, towers and improve the landscape environment, space of temples, towers and village houses - where the Festival takes place to ensure green, clean and beautiful.

Cham religious dignitaries, artisans and intellectuals who understand and possess intangible cultural heritage in general and the Kate festival in particular need to pay attention and focus on regularly transmitting and guiding the practice of rituals in the Kate festival to the younger generation to create a connection in inheriting, preserving and promoting the values of the Festival, avoiding the risk of loss, fading, variation or disappearance in the future. Focus on strengthening inspection and supervision to promptly prevent and eliminate superstitious activities, backward customs, forms of commercialization infiltrating the Festival, etc.

It is known that Binh Thuan is a locality with a large concentration of Cham people, with more than 40,000 people living in the districts of Tuy Phong, Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan and Tanh Linh... Over many generations, the Cham community in Binh Thuan has been attached to the land and other ethnic groups, while preserving, conserving and restoring many unique festivals such as: Ramưwan festival, Rija Nưgar festival, Chabun festival, especially Kate festival... contributing to creating a picture of the traditional culture of the Cham people with very unique, rich and diverse nuances in Vietnamese culture./.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/dua-le-hoi-kate-thanh-san-pham-du-lich-dac-sac-20240926103845639.htm