The Katê festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan province will be solemnly organized according to the traditional customs and practices of the local Cham people, with the participation of the entire Cham community in the province. This year's festival takes place on October 13-14, 2023, promising to be an exciting experience for tourists visiting Phan Thiet this weekend.
Katê is the oldest and most distinctive folk festival of the Cham people who follow Brahmanism in Binh Thuan province. It commemorates the gods and prays for favorable weather, bountiful harvests, harmonious relationships, and the flourishing of all living things. During the Katê festival, not only Cham people in Binh Thuan but also those living and working everywhere return to reunite and gather with family, friends, and relatives.
The rituals of the festival begin at the temple and continue through the villages and into each family. In 2005, the Katê Festival was revived by Binh Thuan province at the Po Sah Inư Tower (Phu Hai ward, Phan Thiet city) and became one of the six typical festivals selected by the province for tourism development. Since then, the festival has not only met the spiritual and emotional needs of the Cham people but also contributed to promoting the culture and image of Binh Thuan to domestic and international tourists.
Specifically, the Katê Festival at the Pô Sah Inư tower relic site, comprising both ceremonial and festive parts, unfolds harmoniously, creating an atmosphere that is both solemn and joyful, healthy and united among the ethnic communities. The ceremonial part is considered the main and core content of the festival. The ceremony is conducted by Chăm religious leaders from Hàm Thuận Bắc district, following religious regulations and traditional customs passed down from their ancestors. This includes rituals such as prayers for peace, celebratory dances, inviting deities; opening the tower, bathing the Linga-Yoni altar, dressing in traditional costumes, and the Grand Ceremony of Thanksgiving to the goddess Pô Sah Inư and other deities (at the main tower).
During the festival, Cham people from the districts of Ham Thuan Bac, Bac Binh, Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Nam, Tanh Linh, and Ham Tan will divide into teams and participate in rice pounding competitions, carrying water over obstacles, playing the Saranai horn, decorating offerings on Thonla and Co Bong to worship the goddess Po Sah Inu; performing and exchanging Cham folk art, creating an atmosphere of excitement, joy, and unity.
Besides immersing themselves in the procession carrying the attire of the goddess Po Sah Inu to the main tower, visitors can also experience playing blindfolded pot-breaking games or making pottery and weaving – two traditional crafts of the Cham people that are still preserved.
Binh Thuan province has over 40,000 Cham people living there. They are always conscious of preserving their traditional culture, including the unique culture of the Katê Festival. On April 4, 2022, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to include the Katê Festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan province in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is an important and necessary legal basis to improve the effectiveness of state management in the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage in the province in general and the Katê Festival of the Cham people in particular.
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