Cham people in Ninh Thuan celebrate Kate festival

The ethnic Cham Brahman people in the central province of Ninh Thuan on October 19 began their celebration of the Kate festival, their most important event in the year.

The same day, a ceremony to receive a certificate recognising the Kate festival as a national intangible heritage was also held.

Thousands of Cham people along with visitors participated in various activities of the festival in Po Inungar shrine, Po Klong Girai and Po Rome towers. The festival was attended by Indian Ambassador to Viet Nam Parvathaneni Harish and his spouse, local authorities and representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

On the occasion, many delegations from the Party Committee, the People’s Council and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front of Ninh Thuan province visited and presented gifts to dignitaries and policy beneficiaries in the locality.

Falling on the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, Kate is the most popular Cham festival in Ninh Thuan. It reminds the ethnic Brahman community of their ancient gods and delivers wishes for bumper harvests and the growth of all beings.

The Cham people have several distinctive festivals including the Ramuwan, the Rija Nugar, and the Chabun.

There are about 153,000 Cham people in Viet Nam, approximately 72,500 of them live in Ninh Thuan. Over 43,000 Cham people, scattered across 12 communes in seven districts of Ninh Thuan, follow the Brahmin religion.