Greetings to Cham Brahman community in Binh Thuan on Kate Festival

A delegation of the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs led by Deputy Minister-Vice Chairman Le Son Hai visited and extended greetings to the Cham Brahman community in Ham Thuan Bac district, south-central Binh Thuan province, on the occasion of the Kate Festival.
Deputy Minister-Vice Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs Le Son Hai (L) presents gifts to a dignitary in Binh Thuan. (Photo: VNA)
Deputy Minister-Vice Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs Le Son Hai (L) presents gifts to a dignitary in Binh Thuan. (Photo: VNA)

Hai lauded contributions of the Cham people to strengthening the great national solidarity bloc, and urged them to support one another in poverty reduction and to contribute more to national development.

On this occasion, the officials visited and presented leaning equipment and 20 scholarships for learning English to students of the province’s ethnic minority boarding high school.

Kate is the most important folk festival of Brahmanist followers in Binh Thuan, during which they pay tribute to the gods and pray for favourable weather, bumper crops, and the development of people and all living things.

Since 2005, the festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, has been reenacted and held annually in Binh Thuan to promote local tourism. This year’s event will take place from October 24-25 in Phan Thiet city.

Binh Thuan is currently home to nearly 40,000 Cham people, mostly in Tuy Phong, Bac Binh, Ham Thuan Bac and Tanh Linh districts.

Local Cham people also hold many other traditional festivals, including Rijanugar, Suc dang and Ramuwan.

VNA