The procession of the sacred costume of Goddess Po Inu Nagar takes place during the Katê Festival in Lâm Đồng Province, held at the Pô Sah Inư Chăm Towers in Phú Thủy Ward on October 10. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thanh

SOUTH CENTRAL — Thousands of Chăm people in the south-central provinces of Lâm Đồng and Khánh Hòa, wearing colourful traditional costumes, have celebrated the Katê Festival, the Chăm people's largest traditional festival.

Katê is celebrated annually over three days in the seventh lunar month by the Chăm, who follow the Balamon religion in the south-central region. It gives them an opportunity to express gratitude to kings, mandarins and ancestors and to pray for good harvests, health and prosperity.

It includes rituals such as a thanksgiving ceremony and a solemn procession of the sacred costume of Goddess Po Inu Nagar, whom the Chăm revere as the Mother of the Land who taught them farming, weaving and animal husbandry.  

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the festival as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

Young Chăm in traditional costumes perform folk dances to celebrate the Katê Festival at the Pô Sah Inư Chăm Towers. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thanh

This year, the Katê Festival in Lâm Đồng was held under the theme “Katê Festival preserves and promotes Chăm cultural and heritage values”.

The event was held at the Pô Sah Inư Chăm Towers on Bà Nài Hill in Phú Thủy Ward from October 9-12.

Alongside the traditional rituals, Chăm performers and artists presented folk dances and music played on traditional instruments, as well as a fashion show of traditional costumes. Folk games and cultural exchanges helped visitors learn more about Chăm culture.

The Chăm Cultural Centre in Lâm Đồng displays Chăm artefacts at the festival. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thanh

The province’s Chăm Cultural Centre in Bắc Bình Ward introduced the Katê thanksgiving ceremony, demonstrations of traditional crafts such as brocade weaving and pottery making, and an exhibition of Chăm antiques.

Tôn Thiện San, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Lâm Đồng is home to 49 ethnic groups, whose distinctive cultural values contribute to its diversity. Among them, the Chăm have a long history and rich tangible and intangible heritage, contributing to the province’s unique cultural identity.

He added that the Katê Festival is a ceremonial occasion to promote the Chăm's distinctive cultural values, strengthen solidarity among ethnic groups, honour cultural diversity and build an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.

Chăm people in Khánh Hòa Province present food offerings at Po Klong Garai Tower as part of the Katê Festival held from October 9–12. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

In Khánh Hòa, a large number of Chăm people and visitors joined the main rituals of the Katê Festival at Po Klong Garai Tower in Đô Vinh Ward and Po Rome Tower in Phước Hữu Commune on October 10.

The rituals included opening the tower doors, bathing the deity statues and presenting offerings to the gods. 

While elders prepared offerings and performed the rituals, young people played traditional musical instruments such as ginăng and paranưng drums and the saranai wind instrument, and performed traditional dances.

Young Chăm people from Khánh Hòa perform a traditional dance at Po Klong Garai Tower. — VNA/VNS Photo Đặng Tuấn

Lâm Đông, deputy secretary of the provincial Party Committee and chairman of the People’s Council, wished the Chăm community a joyful and warm Katê Festival.

He said that the Party, the State and the province have always paid attention to the material and spiritual well-being of ethnic minority communities, including the Chăm, focusing on preserving and promoting their traditional cultural values and strengthening national unity.

Khánh Hòa is developing a project to preserve and promote the cultural values of the Katê Festival by 2030, aiming to maintain traditions and the community's role while promoting heritage values through culture and tourism.

The preservation of the festival plays a crucial role in sustaining Chăm culture, encouraging the community to continue practising their heritage and showcasing the festival’s unique values to local residents and domestic and international visitors. — VNS