Binh Thuan Province's Cham people celebrate Kate Festival

Thousands of local people and visitors along with Cham people celebrated the Kate festival, the most important event of the Cham ethnic group, which was held at the Po Sah Inu tower in Phan Thiet City in the south-central coastal province of Binh Thuan on October 25.
Binh Thuan Province's Cham people celebrate Kate Festival ảnh 1 The People’s Committee of Binh Thuan Province announces the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s decision on approving the Kate Festival into the list of national intangible cultural heritages.
In this year’s festival, the People’s Committee of Binh Thuan Province announced the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s decision on approving the Kate Festival into the list of national intangible cultural heritages.
Cham people in traditional costumes flocked to Po Sah Inu tower, a national historic and cultural relic where ceremonies such as clothing procession, tower opening, Po Sah Inu Goddess costume carrying ceremony – an important ritual of the Kate Festival, and Linga-Yoni altar bathing rite took place with many religious rites.
Binh Thuan Province's Cham people celebrate Kate Festival ảnh 2 A ritual in the Kate Festival at Po Sah Inu tower 
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Binh Thuan Province Nguyen Minh emphasized that the Kate festival plays an important role in the life, religious activity and beliefs of the ethnic communities, presenting their history, creation and existence.
The festival not only meets the spiritual and emotional needs of the Cham people but also contributes to promoting the culture and tourism of Binh Thuan to domestic and international tourists, he added.
Binh Thuan Province's Cham people celebrate Kate Festival ảnh 3 Cham people enjoy their traditional festival.
The festival falls on the first day of the seventh month of the Cham’s calendar and lasts for ten days. Celebrations are held at mausoleums, temples, shrines, and in the family homes of the Cham people. They commemorate the gods, heroes, ancestors, and such kings with many merits as Poklong, Garai, and Porome, and wish for better crops.
It is a chance for local and international visitors to enjoy a unique folk event of the Cham people and discover the ethnic minority’s cultural features.

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