Kate Festival - A Journey into the Cham Cultural World
Kate is the largest cultural and religious festival of the year for the Brahman Cham community, honoring deities and offering prayers for favorable weather, peace and prosperity. The festival also helps bring Cham heritage values closer to local communities and visitors.
Cultural Colors in the Festival
The 2026 Kate Festival takes place over four days (October 9 - 12) and is organized at two locations: the Po Sah Inu Tower relic site in Phu Thuy ward and the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center in Bac Binh commune. Following the sacred rituals solemnly performed by Cham religious dignitaries at the Po Sah Inu Tower according to traditional customs, this year's festive activities feature a wide range of distinctive folk arts and cultural programs, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Cham artisans and participants from Brahman communities in nine communes of Lam Dong will compete in saranai playing, decorating offerings on trays (thonla) and pedestal plates (co bong) for presentation to the goddess Po Sah Inu, as well as water-carrying obstacle races and blindfolded pot smashing. Each activity is associated with an aspect of daily life, a traditional skill or a custom passed down through generations.
In preparation for the festival, localities have been selecting teams and holding training sessions in recent days. Through each practice session, from playing the saranai and performing traditional dances and songs to taking part in folk games, familiar aspects of community life and culture are vividly brought to life, helping participants not only hone their skills but also better understand and appreciate their community's cultural heritage.
As a member of the art troupe of Ham Thuan Bac commune, Thong Thi My Na (Lam Giang village) said: "Whenever the sound of the paranung drum and saranai trumpet echoes, we feel even prouder of our roots. Through each dance and song, tourists can experience the stories, cultural identity and emotions we seek to convey."
Cham Cultural Heritage Continues to Thrive
During the festival, the Lam Dong Provincial Museum, in coordination with the Mui Ne Antiquities Museum in Mui Ne ward, showcased about 100 representative artifacts, along with images and documents on Cham towers across the province. The exhibition offers visitors a deeper insight into the spiritual life, art, architecture and craftsmanship of the Cham people through different historical periods.
Nguyen Ngoc An, Director of the Mui Ne Antiquities Museum, said: "Through the artifacts, images and documents presented at the festival, I hope to bring Cham heritage closer to the public in a more vivid and accessible way. Residents and visitors alike can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Kate while gaining a deeper understanding of the history and culture of the Cham community."
Adding to the festive atmosphere, on October 11, Cham folk cultural activities will be held at the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center in Bac Binh commune. Alongside the traditional Kate ritual at the Shiva shrine, the program will also offer students an opportunity to practice writing in the traditional Cham script.
Beyond simply watching and listening, locals and tourists can take part in a range of hands-on cultural experiences, from pottery and traditional ginger-cake making to folk games and brocade weaving. They can also enjoy Cham folk songs, dances and music, and visit the Po Nit Temple and Binh Duc Cham pottery village.
Therefore, the Kate Festival is more than a celebration confined to the festival days; it also helps strengthen connections between the Cham community and tourists. Through traditional rituals and cultural activities, the cultural values of the Cham people in Lam Dong continue to be preserved and promoted, contributing to the development of an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.
The Cham community in Lam Dong numbers more than 43,000 people, concentrated in nine communes: Tuy Phong, Lien Huong, Bac Binh, Hong Thai, Ham Thuan Bac, Ham Thuan, Tan Thanh, Son My and Tanh Linh. In recent years, the community's socio-economic conditions have steadily improved, helping make the Kate Festival increasingly vibrant and warm.