NINH THUẬN—  The traditional Ka Tê Festival that gives thanks for the year’s harvests will close tonight at the Pô Klông Garai Temple in Phan Rang City in Ninh Thuận Province.  

The largest festival is celebrated annually for three days in the seventh lunar month (October 9-11) by the Chăm ethnic people who live in the central region.  

This year, the first day of the festival on Tuesday began with a thanksgiving ceremony to the Po Play (Village Genie), kings and mandarins in villages.

The event has also included cultural performances and traditional games, involving professional and amateur artisans and sportspeople in the region.

The artists have performed in ritual and cultural shows, folk music and song presentations with traditional instruments, and folk sport activities.

“In traditional Chăm clothes, we sing and dance featuring the religions, traditional customs and culture of the Chăm,” said Vận Phú Đoan, a resident of Ninh Phước District.

“We call our kings and mandarins the Pokal, the village genie the Po Play, and ancestors the Mu Kay. The Katê Festival is an opportunity for us to show our gratitude to kings, mandarins and ancestors. We hope young people can learn about our traditional arts and discover their culture,” he said.

Last year, the Ka Tê Festival was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

It is one of the 15 biggest festivals in Việt Nam, attracting thousands of domestic and international visitors every year. 

The Chăm pottery tradition, which survives in the ancient Bàu Trúc Village in Ninh Thuận, has also received recognition as a national intangible cultural heritage.

The Bầu Trúc pottery village is one of the oldest ceramic villages in Southeast Asia. About 85 per cent of the village’s 400 households make pottery. – VNS