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Villages of Cham people in Ninh Thuan province started their Kate festival on October 2, the most important traditional one of 50,000 Cham ethnic minority people.
The festival takes place at Poklong Garai tower, Porome tower and Cham villages. The Poklong Garai tower is attracting the most participants, including the Cham villagers and tourists.
The State has invested nearly VND 11 billion to build three sites for organising the festival, including three houses for displaying Cham-culture objects, an open-air stage to organise art performances and folk games and a chain of traditional houses displaying objects of the water rice civilisation.
Every year, the Kate is held one time on July of Cham calendar (October) to memorize male deities as Poklong Garai and Porome. The festival is held in a large space, in turn from the tower and temple (Bi mom, Kalan) – the village (Paley) to the family ( Ngawom), creating a rich and diversified identity.
The Kate festival is the most special folk one in the Cham people’s cultural treasure, a mirror of reflecting the community’s activities and the place where the cultural cream of the people gather.
Kate is held on July 1st of Cham calendar. Every year, the date of the Kate festival compared with the solar calendar moves from September 25th to October 5th as the Cham calendar isn’t in accordance with the solar calendar.
On the day before the festival taking place, at Po Nugar temple and tower, Poklong Garai tower, Porome tower and Huu Duc hamlet, Cham people organise the ceremony of receiving with consideration clothes between the Raglai and the Cham. After that, on September 28th, the Kate is held at the Cham villages.
Kate takes places on three days (from September 26 to September 28).
Nhan Dan - (05/10/2005)
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