Khanh Hoa: Joyfully welcoming the Kate Festival 2025

Deputy monk Luu Sanh Thanh, member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Khanh Hoa province, Secretary of the Cham Brahman Council of Dignitaries, delivered a welcome speech and opened the Kate Festival 2025 at Po Klong Garai tower, Do Vinh ward. (Photo: NGUYEN TRUNG)

The festival attracts a large number of locals and thousands of tourists to join in the fun.

In the bustling atmosphere, joyfully welcoming visitors to celebrate the Kate Festival, at Po Klong Garai tower, Deputy monk Luu Sanh Thanh, member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Khanh Hoa province, Secretary of the Cham Brahman Council of Dignitaries, said: According to annual tradition, on this day, Cham people from all over gather to offer sacrifices at temples, towers and hold festivals in villages and hamlets.

In recent years, with the attention of the Party and State in investing in building transport infrastructure and irrigation systems to irrigate fields in Cham ethnic areas, people have had favorable conditions for production, high productivity, bringing in good income and increasingly prosperous life.

Comrade Nguyen Khac Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Khanh Hoa province, presented gifts to congratulate the dignitaries and all Cham people in the province on health, happiness and a safe Kate festival in 2025.

Kate Festival is an occasion to remind Cham people to always respect the morality of "drinking water, remember the source", "eating fruit, remember the person who planted the tree"; always be grateful to beloved Uncle Ho, the Party and the State for bringing a prosperous and happy life to the entire nation. Therefore, we must always maintain great solidarity with other ethnic groups, join hands to build our homeland more and more prosperous.

Speaking at the festival, comrade Nguyen Khac Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Khanh Hoa province, emphasized: “In recent times, the Party and State have had many policies and guidelines to develop and improve all aspects of material and spiritual life for ethnic minorities. In particular, great attention has been paid to preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of the Cham people. Thereby, many traditional festivals and cultural heritages of the Cham people have been preserved and developed, becoming a valuable part of the heritage of the Vietnamese people in general and the Cham people in particular."

Cham people bring offerings to Po Klong Garai Tower to worship the gods, praying for favorable weather, bountiful crops, growth of all things, and peace and happiness for everyone.

"This coming December, Khanh Hoa province will coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to host the 6th Cham Cultural Festival in 2025. This will be an opportunity for Cham people across the country to celebrate together, share about culture, arts, and sports; exchange, learn, and exchange life experiences; join hands to build great national unity, actively contribute to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, achieve many new achievements, and confidently enter the era of the Vietnamese nation's rise," added Mr. Nguyen Khac Ha.

Kate Festival is one of the typical folk festivals, closely associated with the spiritual life and religious activities of the Cham people, to commemorate the gods and kings who have contributed to the Cham people; with the meaning of praying for favorable weather, bountiful crops, the growth of all things, and peace and happiness for everyone.

The procession of the goddess Po Inư Nưgar's costume from Phuoc Ha commune to the Cham village stadium in Huu Duc hamlet, Phuoc Huu commune.

According to the rituals of the Kate festival, on the afternoon of October 20, at the stadium of Cham village Huu Duc, Phuoc Huu commune, Khanh Hoa province, the Organizing Committee will open the Kate festival 2025 with the procession of the goddess Po Inư Nưgar's costume (the opening ritual of the festival).

According to legend, Goddess Po Inư Nưgar was the one who taught villagers to weave, grow crops, raise livestock, and build a prosperous life.

Cham people perform art performances, sing and dance to welcome the procession of goddess Po Inư Nưgar.

The procession of the goddess Po Inư Nưgar’s costume into the stadium took place very solemnly. After performing the sacred handover procedure at Phuoc Ha commune, the costume was placed on a palanquin, the procession consisting of hundreds of people with a fan dance team, the sound of Ghinang drums and the bustling sound of Saranai trumpets, moved from Phuoc Ha commune to Huu Duc village, Phuoc Huu commune.

The ceremony to welcome the costumes was solemnly held at the Huu Duc village stadium, in the jubilant atmosphere of art performances, singing and dancing to welcome. Afterwards, the costumes were brought to the village temple, ending the procession in the reverence and joy of the people.

Local leaders presented flowers to congratulate the organizing committee of the Kate festival in 2025 after the procession of the goddess Po Inư Nưgar's costume.

Next was a special folk song and dance performance by the villagers, attracting thousands of tourists and locals to see the most beautiful traditional festival costumes of the Cham people.

On the morning of October 21 (July 1st of the Cham calendar), the ritual of carrying costumes from the villages to the three sacred towers: Po Klong Garai, Po Rome and Po Ina Nagar will be considered the highlight, the "soul" of the Kate Festival.

The procession and the costumes of the gods from Cham villages go to Po Klong Garai tower to perform the grand ceremony.

Processions carrying palanquins and costumes of gods from villages, led by dignitaries, priests and women in traditional costumes.

At the temple tower area, visitors are delighted with the image of graceful Cham girls in traditional costumes, dancing with fans to the rhythm of Ginang drums and Saranai trumpets, creating a joyful and unique atmosphere.

Inside the temples, the ritual of bathing and dressing the king/god is solemnly performed, expressing respect and praying for the gods to bless health and a bountiful harvest.

Cham children participate in the Cham writing contest with the theme: "Bright handwriting - Preserving the Cham soul"

This year, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Khanh Hoa province also organized many cultural and sports activities, display and exhibition spaces on Cham culture; introduced artifacts, images, traditional occupations and customs of the Cham people and for the first time organized a Cham writing contest with the theme: "Bright handwriting - Preserving the Cham soul" for children.

After the Kate ceremony at the temple tower, there is the Kate ceremony in villages and families, to commemorate the village gods, those who have contributed to the villagers. Each village has its own god. Bau Truc village worships god Po Klong Can, who contributed to the development of the pottery industry; My Nghiep village worships god Po Riyak, the god who protects fishermen; Huu Duc village worships god Po Klong Halau, who taught people to grow rice and bring water to the fields...

Cham youth participate in sack jumping competition.

In Kate village, people contribute gifts, money, and assign tasks to organize a solemn festival with its own unique identity. This is an occasion for reunion, connecting family and clan members; connecting the community, and educating children on the tradition of "remembering the source of water when drinking".

Mrs. La Thi Thu, 68 years old, in Huu Duc village confided: “From early morning, we prepared banana leaves, flour, eggs, peanuts, ginger... together with some villagers to make Non Ya cakes and Sakaya cakes to offer to our ancestors during the Kate village festival. This is a very important occasion, because each family gathers all their children and grandchildren and reconciles all personal conflicts, to get along together and welcome a new year of peace, happiness, and prosperity.”

Today, the Kate Festival is one of the 15 largest festivals in Vietnam, not only a religious ritual of the Cham people who follow Brahmanism but also a major cultural festival, attracting a large number of people and tourists to participate and exchange, contributing to strengthening solidarity and further promoting the preservation of the unique cultural heritage of the Vietnamese people.