Phan Thiet set for charming Kate festival

The Cham people will organize their biggest and most important festival, Kate, next month with processions, rituals, and cultural activities at the Po Sah Inu Tower in Phan Thiet.

The highlights will include colorful traditional rituals like a palanquin procession carrying the costumes of Goddess Po Sah Inu and the Tong On ceremony to keep away “poisonous” winds. The Cham believe these winds can cause diseases and bring bad luck to families.

Then there will be a ceremony to bathe the lingam-yoni altar and make an offering of wine. The lingam is a phallic symbol of the Hindu god Shiva and the yoni represents the female.

The festival will also feature the paranung drum dance, other ethnic music and dance, and folk games.

For the benefit of tourists and other visitors, Champa artisans will demonstrate traditional brocade and ceramic production.

There will be a contest to make cakes like banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and fatty pork) and banh gung (ginger cake).

The Kate festival falls on the first day of the seventh month in the Cham calendar (September-October in the solar calendar). It is celebrated in honor of Po Sah Inu, who according to legend helped the Cham grow wet rice.

It also marks harvest and is an occasion for childless couples to entreat Po Sah Inu to bless them with children.