General Introduction to the Katê Festival
The Katê Festival is the most distinctive cultural and religious activity of the Brahmin Chăm people in Ninh Thuận. It is not only an occasion for the Chăm to remember and express gratitude to the gods and national heroes who taught them to weave brocade, make pottery, and grow rice, but also a sacred moment for the community to pray for a new year of favorable weather, abundance, and happiness. The festival is held across a wide space, from ancient temples and towers to every village and Chăm household, attracting all members of the community of all ages.
Every year, the Katê Festival takes place in the seventh month of the Chăm calendar, roughly corresponding to October in the Gregorian calendar. It is considered the traditional New Year, a time for the Chăm to remember their origins, deities, and ancestors. The festival space extends from Chăm tower relics such as Pô Klong Garai and Pô Rôme to villages and family homes, creating a colorful cultural picture.
The Special Role of the Raglai People in the Katê Festival
The most unique feature that creates the distinct identity of the Katê Festival in Ninh Thuận is the close and inseparable relationship between the Chăm and the Raglai people. Accordingly, the Raglai people in the highlands of Phước Hà commune, Thuận Nam district, are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping the attire of Goddess Pô Nưgar (also known as the Mother Goddess of the Land).
Ceremony of Receiving the Attire of Goddess Pô Nưgar
One day before the official Katê Festival, the ceremony to receive the attire begins. A group of Raglai people from the highlands brings the Goddess's attire down to Hữu Đức village, Phước Hữu commune, Ninh Phước district, to hand it over to the Chăm people according to traditional rites. Before the attire is carried to the tower, the Raglai group gathers in full; the Camanei (temple priest) offers gifts of eggs, wine, betel and areca nuts, and asks the gods for permission to bring the attire to the tower for the ceremony.
Around noon of the same day, the Chăm people in Hữu Đức village hold a welcome ceremony for the attire handed over by the Raglai. The attire of Goddess Pô Nưgar is then placed in a temple near the tower before other important rituals take place. This act of handing over the attire is not just a procedure but a symbol of the bond, trust, and mutual respect between the two ethnic communities that has existed for many generations.
Significance of the Cooperation between the Chăm and the Raglai
The participation of the Raglai in the Katê Festival is not limited to keeping and carrying the attire. It reflects a long-standing cultural and historical relationship between the lowland Chăm and the highland Raglai. This division of roles shows a community of ethnic groups living together, protecting, and nurturing shared cultural values. The Raglai are not just guests but have become an indispensable part of maintaining and preserving this sacred ritual, contributing to a unified and meaningful Katê cultural space.
Sequence of Main Rituals
The Katê Festival follows a strict traditional sequence, preserved since ancient times, including important rituals at the temples and activities in the villages.
Tower-Opening Ceremony
After the attire of Goddess Pô Nưgar is brought to the temple, the Tower-Opening Ceremony is conducted by a head priest and the temple keeper. Offerings include wine, eggs, betel and areca nuts, and sacred bathing water mixed with agarwood. In a solemn atmosphere, the head priest recites verses from the ritual scriptures, expressing the descendants' reverence to the gods. The temple keeper takes the container of bathing water and sprinkles it on the bas-relief of God Siva above the main door of the tower.
Next, a musician plays the Kanhi (a two-stringed fiddle similar to the Vietnamese đàn nhị), and a female medium (bà bóng) approaches the main tower entrance, sitting beside the statue of the sacred bull Nandin, to sing and ask permission to open the tower. After the sung request, the medium and the temple keeper open the tower doors amidst thick incense smoke, while the entire congregation watches with devotion.
Bathing and Dressing the God Statue
The bathing ritual is sacred and takes place inside the tower, performed by the head priest, the Cò Ke priest, the medium, the temple keeper, and some devout followers. After reciting ritual scriptures, the temple keeper sprinkles the bathing water on the stone statue, and all present join in bathing the deity. During this time, devout followers often take water from the statue's body and apply it to their heads and bodies, hoping for wealth, health, and luck.
After bathing the statue, the next important ritual is dressing the deity. The statue is adorned in the most splendid and colorful robes, marking the completion of purification rituals and preparation for the main ceremony.
Grand Ceremony at Pô Klong Garai Tower
The grand ceremony of the Katê Festival is officially held at Pô Klong Garai Tower in Đô Vinh ward, Phan Rang - Tháp Chàm city. Once the statue is dressed in splendid robes, offerings are arranged before the altar. Outside around the tower, thousands of Chăm people gather to offer precious products made and harvested during the past year to the gods. The head priest reads prayers, inviting the gods to attend the ceremony and bless the descendants with prosperity in the new year.
Festive Activities and Community Events
After the grand ceremony inside Pô Klong Garai Tower, lively festivities begin outside. The sounds of Ginăng drums and Saranai horns resound in unison, keeping rhythm for Chăm girls in passionate, captivating dances. The cheerful atmosphere continues until the sun sets behind the mountains, creating a colorful and energetic festival scene.
Katê Festival in Chăm Villages
The Katê Festival in Chăm villages in Ninh Thuận usually takes place one or a few days after the festival at the towers. While the festival at the towers emphasizes rituals, the village festival leans more toward festivities. Before the ceremony day, villagers clean temples and shrines, prepare stages and playgrounds for contests such as Chăm brocade weaving, water-carrying races, and tug-of-war. In recent years, modern sports like football and volleyball have also been organized for young people, making the festival atmosphere more lively and attractive.
On the village Katê day, after preparing offerings, in the morning people hold a Katê worship ceremony at the Village House to pray for the gods to protect the villagers with peace, health, and prosperity. The officiant is the village chief or an esteemed elder well-versed in customs. After the ritual, festive activities take place with great enthusiasm and excitement.
Family Katê Ceremony
When the village Katê ceremony ends, the family Katê ceremony begins. Depending on economic conditions, each family buys goods to celebrate the New Year, similar to the Kinh people's Tết Nguyên Đán. During the family worship, all family members must be present to pray for ancestors and gods to bless the descendants with prosperity, avoid misfortunes, and bring luck. This is also an occasion for grandparents and parents to educate children about gratitude for the birth and upbringing by their ancestors. After the worship, families visit relatives and friends, wishing each other a good new year.
Cultural Values and Religious Interchange
According to many Chăm culture researchers, the Chăm community in Vietnam is deeply influenced by Indian culture, but the Katê Festival shows a unique path, an attitude of cultural adoption linked to indigenous traditions. Although they still worship God Siva in their beliefs, the Chăm also honor national heroes, harmoniously combining the old and the new, the past and the present. Therefore, the Chăm towers where Katê rituals are held are associated with the names of those who rendered great services to the people and were deified, such as Pô Klong Garai, Pô Rôme, and Pô Nưgar.
The Katê Festival is considered a convergence of the cultural quintessence, customs, beliefs, techniques, and arts of the Chăm people. All are expressed through offerings, clothing, musical instruments, and hymns praising the sages who served the country and the people, as well as praising farming and harvests. The festival is also an occasion for Chăm boys and girls to showcase their unique dances, songs, and horn tunes in public. The melodious sounds of the Saranai horn and the stirring rhythm of the Ginăng drum elevate participants to a peak of ecstasy, merging with the dances of Chăm maidens as if flying across the dreamy sky.
The presence of the Raglai in the key role of the attire-receiving ceremony is the clearest evidence of the cultural interchange and empathy among brother ethnic groups on the same land. This not only enriches the cultural identity of each ethnicity but also serves as a bond uniting the community, creating a diverse yet unified Vietnamese cultural picture. The Katê Festival is a sacred moment for descendants to awaken the ancient Chăm towers, radiating myriad colors and fragrances, contributing to the vibrant cultural garden of Vietnam's ethnic groups.
