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TL;DR: The Katê Festival is the largest traditional New Year celebration of the Bàlamôn Cham people (also called Chăm Ahier) in old Ninh Thuận (now part of Khánh Hòa) and old Bình Thuận (now part of Lâm Đồng). It takes place in the seventh month of the Cham calendar and lasts about three days, usually falling between September and October on the Gregorian calendar. The festival is an occasion to remember deities, Cham kings, and ancestors, and to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests; it is also a time for the community to gather and preserve cultural identity.
What is the Katê Festival?
The Katê Festival is the most important and largest cultural and religious event of the year for the Cham ethnic community who follow Bàlamôn in Vietnam, especially in Khánh Hòa province (before July 2025 this was Ninh Thuận province) and Lâm Đồng province (before July 2025 this was Bình Thuận province). The Cham who follow Bàlamôn are also known as Chăm Ahier. This is not only an occasion for the Cham community to remember their roots, the deities and their ancestors, but also a sacred moment for them to express gratitude and to wish for the best things in a new year.
According to reference material from Nhân Dân newspaper, the Katê Festival of the Cham Bàlamôn people in Ninh Thuận is held in the seventh month of the Cham calendar each year, which falls around September and October of the solar calendar. The main purpose of the festival is to remember ancestors and to pray for favourable rain and wind and a good harvest. With such great significance, in 2017 the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially added the Katê Festival to the list of national intangible cultural heritage, affirming its distinctive cultural value that needs to be preserved and promoted.
Summary table of information about the Katê Festival of the Cham Bàlamôn people, based on the facts in this article.
| Aspect | Information |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Cham Bàlamôn people (Chăm Ahier) in Vietnam, especially in the former Ninh Thuận (now part of Khánh Hòa) and the former Bình Thuận (now part of Lâm Đồng) |
| Time according to the Cham calendar | The first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar |
| Time according to the solar calendar | Around September and October, usually late September or early October |
| Frequency | Once every year |
| Purpose | To remember ancestors, deities and Cham kings; to pray for favourable rain and wind and a good harvest |
| Main locations | Pô Klong Garai tower, Pô Inư Nưgar tower, Pô Rômê tower (former Ninh Thuận, now part of Khánh Hòa); Pô Sah Inư tower (Phan Thiết, former Bình Thuận, now part of Lâm Đồng) |
| Distinctive ritual | The procession of the costumes of the deities and Cham kings |
| Offerings | Sugarcane, rambutan, longan, dragon fruit, oranges, betel and areca, chicken, rice, soup, eggs, salt, cakes and sweets |
| Recognition | In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism added it to the list of national intangible cultural heritage |
What are the origins and timing of the Katê Festival?
Time markers according to the Cham calendar
The Katê Festival is held regularly once a year, closely tied to the Cham calendar, a traditional calendar unique to the Cham people. The festival takes place on the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, which usually falls around late September or early October of the solar calendar. The festival usually lasts about three days, counting from the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar. This timing is determined not only for administrative reasons but also based on the workings of nature, marking the transition between seasons, the point at which people have finished the harvest and are preparing to enter a new cultivation cycle.
Because it follows the Cham calendar, the solar calendar date of the festival shifts from year to year. For example, in 2024 the festival took place from 2 to 4 October of the solar calendar in Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận (now part of Khánh Hòa and Lâm Đồng).
What are the historical and spiritual meanings of the Katê Festival?
According to Dân trí newspaper, Katê is the most important festival of the Cham Bà La Môn people, held to remember the deities and the kings who served the nation, and to present offerings to grandparents and ancestors. This is an occasion for the Cham to express their reverence and to pray for national peace and prosperity, favourable rain and wind, an abundant harvest, good health and a prosperous family. The festival is not only a religious rite but also a beautiful cultural feature, a thread that connects the community, binding generations within families, clans and villages.
Where are the main locations of the Katê Festival?
The Katê Festival does not take place in a single location but is held in many sacred places associated with Cham culture in the former Ninh Thuận (now part of Khánh Hòa) and the former Bình Thuận (now part of Lâm Đồng). According to information from Dân trí newspaper, the Pô Klong Garai tower complex (Phan Rang - Tháp Chàm city) is one of the three main locations of the Katê Festival in Khánh Hòa province (before July 2025 this was Ninh Thuận province). According to custom, the Cham bring offerings up to the ancient towers such as Pô Klong Garai tower, Pô Inư Nưgar tower and Pô Rômê tower to perform the offering rites. Each tower is tied to its own historical and legendary stories, and is the dwelling place of deities and Cham kings in folk belief.
In the former Bình Thuận (now part of Lâm Đồng), the main ceremony is held at Pô Sah Inư tower (Phan Thiết), dedicated to princess Pô Sah Inư, daughter of king Pô Klong Garai.
The costume procession ritual: the start of the festival season
The smooth coordination between communities
One of the most distinctive and important rites of the Katê Festival is the procession of the costumes of the deities and Cham kings. This ritual not only expresses reverence but also shows the close bond between the brother ethnic communities in the region. According to an article in Nhân Dân newspaper, within the framework of the 2023 Katê Festival, from the afternoon of 13 October, local people and visitors gathered in Hữu Đức Cham village, Phước Hữu commune, Ninh Phước district to attend the procession of the costumes of the goddess Pô Inư Nưgar. What was special was that these costumes were brought down and handed back to the Cham by the Ra Glai ethnic people of Phước Hà commune themselves, demonstrating the close, mutually supportive relationship in the cultural and spiritual life between the ethnic groups of the locality.
The grand palanquin procession
At the tower sites, the procession of the costumes of king Pô Klong Garai is also held solemnly. According to the description in Dân trí newspaper, the dignitaries together with the younger generation of the Cham lead the palanquin procession carrying the costumes of king Pô Klong Garai from the village up to the tower. Behind the palanquin procession are young women in brilliant traditional dress performing graceful ceremonial dances, along with the participation of a large number of Cham people and visitors from everywhere. The atmosphere of the procession unfolds in joy and solemnity, creating a vivid and colourful cultural picture.
How do the main rituals at the ancient towers take place?
Preparing the offerings
The offerings presented during the Katê Festival are an indispensable part, expressing the reverence of descendants towards the deities and ancestors. According to Dân trí newspaper, the Cham arrange offerings to be presented at the towers. The offerings at the area at the foot of the tower usually depend on the circumstances and intentions of each family, and include familiar fruits of the Ninh Thuận land such as sugarcane, rambutan, longan, dragon fruit and oranges, together with betel and areca, chicken, rice, soup, eggs, salt, cakes and sweets. Preparing the offerings is not only a duty but also a joy, a way for each family to express its sincerity and gratitude.
The course of the ritual
The main ritual of the Katê Festival is held in the sacred space of the ancient towers such as Pô Klong Garai tower. From early morning, people have flocked to the tower area, creating a crowded and bustling atmosphere on the roads leading up to the tower. Inside the tower, the presiding dignitaries carry out the steps in turn: opening the tower door, bathing the deity statue (the mộc dục rite) with fragrant water boiled from aromatic leaves, dressing the statue in new garments, and then presenting the offerings. The representative of the Cham community performs the solemn offering rites, expressing remembrance and gratitude to the deities and ancestors who have blessed them with favourable rain and wind, lush harvests and a life of plenty. The day of offerings at the tower is considered the most important and sacred activity and attracts a large number of visitors to join.
One point that sources present differently should be noted: according to the article retained based on Nhân Dân newspaper, the costume procession is placed before the main festival day; while the earlier merged version placed the deity procession ritual on the last day of the festival. Readers should regard this as a place where the documents are not yet consistent about the order, rather than treating one way of describing it as absolutely standard.
What is distinctive about the festival atmosphere and cultural activities?
The lively festival portion after the solemn ritual portion
After the main ritual portion at the towers ends, the Katê Festival enters the festival portion with many distinctive traditional cultural and artistic activities. According to Nhân Dân newspaper, after the official ritual at Pô Klong Garai tower, over the following three days, many activities take place in Cham communities to celebrate the festival, to visit and wish one another all good things in the new year. This is also an occasion for visitors to enjoy distinctive artistic programmes, with graceful Cham dances and traditional folk melodies rich in ethnic identity.
The festival portion has more specific features as well: the procession includes Ginăng drums and Saranai horns blending with the Cham music troupe, and Cham girls wearing traditional dress. Not only at the towers, Cham villages such as Mỹ Nghiệp and Văn Lâm also hold ceremonies in the village, at the community cultural house or the village communal house. On this occasion there are also displays of Bàu Trúc pottery and Mỹ Nghiệp brocade weaving, introducing the traditional crafts of the Cham to local people and visitors.
What is the community and family meaning of the Katê Festival?
The Katê Festival also carries a deep social meaning, as an occasion for people far from home to return and reunite with family, friends and neighbours. Sharing with Dân trí newspaper, Mr Thiên Sấm (30 years old, former Ninh Phước district), someone who has lived far from home working in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 10 years, said that although he works far away, whenever the Katê Festival comes he arranges his time to return home to enjoy the festival and reunite with his family. This shows that the Katê Festival is not only a traditional cultural feature but also an invisible thread binding family and homeland affection, helping younger generations, even when far away, to always look towards their roots.
What are the heritage value and the preservation efforts for the Katê Festival?
The recognition of the Katê Festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as national intangible cultural heritage in 2017 is clear evidence of the great cultural values this festival brings. This recognition is not only a source of pride for the Cham people but also an important legal basis for authorities at all levels and local people to join hands in preserving, safeguarding and promoting traditional cultural values. The Katê Festival is increasingly held on a larger and more organised scale, becoming a distinctive cultural tourism product, contributing to promoting the image of the land and people of Ninh Thuận to domestic and international visitors.
