Excited to go to Kate festival

Happy Cham village festival

On the afternoon of October 20, we were present at the Cham village of Huu Duc (Phuoc Huu commune) to participate in the procession of Cham costumes from the Raglai community in Phuoc Ha commune. The procession, led by Cham dignitaries following Brahmanism, solemnly went to the place to receive the costumes. After the ceremony chaired by dignitaries and prestigious people in the community, people gathered at the village stadium to watch the Cham dance performance by more than 200 people. The lively lyrics and music combined with the graceful, rhythmic, and charming Cham dances attracted and enticed people and tourists to come and watch and join in the joy. "Every year, when the Kate festival season comes, the villagers are excited and happy to participate in the processions and performances. Everyone sends each other good wishes and prays for peace and luck for their families," said Mr. Lo Ben (Huu Duc village).

Cham girls in fan dance.

Going to Cham villages during the Kate festival, everywhere you can see the bustling, joyful atmosphere. The village roads are filled with laughter, friendly greetings, and congratulations from people to each other. Each family organizes cozy meals for everyone to gather, chat, tell each other stories, and recall beautiful memories. "This year, my family invited relatives and friends to the party for all 3 days. Along with that, the family also prepared offerings to worship the gods at Po Klong Garai tower and Po Rome tower to pray for the gods to protect and preserve health, grant favorable rains, favorable winds, and good crops," said Ms. Quang Thi Kim Hanh (Tan Duc village, Phuoc Huu commune).

Cham dignitaries participate in the procession of costumes to Po Klong Garai tower.

In the Cham village of Hau Sanh (Phuoc Hau commune), Mrs. Truong Thi Thuy Kieu and her daughters came to watch the performance at the village stadium and cheer for the youth football match in the village. This year, her family's Kate celebration was bigger than last year because there were many happy events. "This year, the family has one child going to university and one child going to high school, so this Kate celebration, the family organized a reception for guests for 3 consecutive days, very crowded and joyful", Mrs. Kieu said.

Kate festival days are bustling in the villages where many Cham people who follow Brahmanism live. This is a traditional festival where Cham people who are far away from home return to reunite with their families.

Bustling in temples and towers

During the Kate festival as well as other festivals of the Cham people, people often hold ceremonies at temple and tower areas. From Po Inư Nưgar temple, to Po Rome tower, Po Klong Garai tower on the morning of October 21, the opening ceremony of temples and towers was held. From early morning, Cham people everywhere brought offerings of products grown and raised by their families such as: chicken, fruit, agricultural products, traditional cakes... to offer to the gods. "Coming to perform ceremonies at temples and towers is a way for each Cham person to express their traditional cultural beliefs. This year, the Kate festival took place for the first time in Khanh Hoa province after the merger, so it was organized more solemnly and on a larger scale," said Deputy Monk Luu Sanh Thanh - Council of Cham Brahmin dignitaries of the province.

Cham people flock to Kate festival at Po Klong Garai tower.

This year is the first year of implementing the Project to Preserve and Promote the Value of the Kate Festival of the Cham People in Khanh Hoa Province for the period 2025 - 2030. Therefore, in addition to the activities carried out by the Cham community itself, there is also the participation of the provincial cultural sector. According to Mr. Nguyen Tan An - Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Family Management - Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, up to now, the provincial cultural sector has successfully organized activities such as: Special art program in the Cham village of Huu Duc; traditional art performances, pottery and brocade weaving at Po Klong Garai tower; thematic exhibition on Cham culture associated with the Kate festival at Po Rome and Po Klong Garai towers. In particular, in order to honor and introduce the Cham writing, for the first time the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized a Cham writing contest with the theme "Bright handwriting - Preserving the Cham soul" attracting nearly 120 young people to participate. Through this, good entries were selected to award prizes to encourage young people to be interested in learning and loving their ethnic writing more. Quang Nu Huyen My (student of Tan Duc Primary School, Phuoc Huu Commune) said: "I am very happy to participate in the Cham writing contest. Through this, I not only show my ability to write short poems in my ethnic writing but also feel proud to introduce Cham writing to everyone."

Fan dance performance of Cham people.

The bustling scene in the temple area also attracts the attention of foreign visitors. “We just flew from Korea to Cam Ranh International Airport on the morning of October 21 and immediately traveled by car to see the Kate festival at Po Klong Garai tower. I was very impressed with the festival atmosphere here. The festival was very colorful and beautiful, the traditional rituals were very unique and the people were very friendly,” said Ms. Hee Young, a Korean tourist.

The Kate Festival 2025 has truly brought a joyful and exciting atmosphere to the Cham community following Brahmanism. The festival atmosphere is bustling with many unique cultural and artistic activities. All are aimed at successfully developing the Kate Festival in the coming years to be a community cultural event that attracts tourists .

FAMILY

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202510/nao-nuc-tray-hoi-kate-b0b3148/