Project to preserve and sustainably promote the unique folk cultural values of the Kate Festival aims to meet the needs of religious activities of the Cham community and make the festival a unique and attractive tourism product that attracts domestic and foreign people and tourists.
Kate Festival reflects the traditional folk cultural values of the Cham Brahmin community
In October, the central Binh Thuan provincial People's Committee approved a project to preserve and promote the Kate Festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan province to serve tourism development.
Kate is a major festival with important spiritual, belief, religious and emotional significance of the Cham Brahmin community. This is an important part of the intangible cultural heritage treasure of the Cham people. It reflects many aspects of culture, customs, and art related to the activities and economic, cultural and social life of the Cham people.
The festival is also a place to strengthen the spirit of solidarity, mutual love, and raise awareness of national roots, moral values, living personality, and spirit of harmony to connect members of the community. Not only meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of the Cham people, the festival also contributes to promoting the culture and image of Binh Thuan to domestic and international tourists.
Kate Festival has a long history and takes place annually from the end of June to mid-July of the Cham calendar. It takes place first at temples and towers, then at Cham villages, families of monks, dignitaries and Cham Brahmin families.
Working to make Kate Festival a unique and attractive tourism product. (Source: CPV)
Although influenced by the process of cultural exchange and acculturation, the Kate Festival is basically still preserved and maintained according to traditional practices.
With these unique and typical historical and cultural values and meanings, Kate Festival is one of five unique festivals of Binh Thuan province in the list of typical local festivals that need to be preserved and promoted for tourism development. Especially on April 4, 2022, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision 776/QD-VHTTDL to name the festival of the Cham people in Binh Thuan province on the list of intangible national cultural heritage.
According to Binh Thuan provincial People's Committee, the development of the Project is an urgent issue for departments, branches and localities to coordinate for the preservation and promotion of the festival’s values to serve the religious and belief activities of the people, contributing to promoting local economic and social development./.
Compiled by BTA