Cham Brahman people in Binh Thuan get ready for an attractive Kate festival 2024

Being known as a unique folk festival of the Cham Brahman community, Kate festival provides an occasion for Cham people not only to commemorate the gods, but also to return their hometown and reunite with their families and friends. This cultural event has been considered as one of tourism products for Binh Thuan to draw visitors.

In order to support the organization of the festival, an intangible cultural heritage of the locality, Binh Thuan provincial museum carried out decoration with banners, advertisement layouts, etc along the road section of Nguyen Thong street leading to the monument of Po sha Inu Cham Tower. The tower’s campus and surrounding environment were cleaned up to welcome local people and tourists. Especially, the organizers set up a booth to display the national treasure –the Golden Linga and images of typical artifacts of the Cham ethnic people. There are an area for Cham artisans to perform traditional crafts such as: making pottery, making ginger cakes, weaving brocatelle fabric… Authorities of Ham Thuan Bac, Tuy Phong, Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan and Tanh Linh districts have been requested to speed up local Cham people to form teams, groups and practice in preparation for the participation of traditional folk games at the festival. Professional agencies have well prepared facilities, equipment, and especially folk songs and dances to perform along with the Cham people in an exchange event slated for the evening of Octorber 1.

This year’s festival is expected to attract a large number of Cham people from across the province due to a special event of announcing the Prime Minister’s decision on the recognition of national treasure of Golden Linga, which was discovered during achaeological excavations at the Po Dam Cham Tower (Phu Lac commune-Tuy Phong district) in 2013. In Brahmanism, Linga symbolizes Shiva, the god of destruction and rebirth.

According to the program, in early morning of October 1st, Cham dignitaries and Brahmanism followers from Ham Thuan Bac, Bac Binh, Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Nam, Ham Tan and Tanh Linh districts will gather at the Posha Inu Tower to conduct rituals to pray for peace and dance to welcome gods at the main tower. The main rituals will be celebated on the following day, with the ceremony carrying Posha Inu Goddess costume to the main tower; ritual to open the tower’ door; ritual of Linga-Yoni altar bathing; ritual to dress up Linga-Yoni altar; and the grand ceremony to worship and express the gratitude to the Posha Inu Goddess, other gods and ancestors.