Kate Festival is held in Ninh Thuan province from the 30th day of the 6th month to 2nd day of the 7th month according to Cham calendar (around at the end of September and the beginning of October according to solar calendar). This is the most unique festival of the Cham people.

Kate Festival is a Cham festival that is associated with ancient towers where the values of Cham culture are stored. It also involves other cultural aspects such as offerings, costumes, music instruments, and hymns praising kings who made great service to the Champa Kingdom and the Cham people. The festival is also an occasion for the participants to enjoy traditional arts performances of the Cham people, such as the Apsara dance, the Ginang and Paranung drumbeats, and the Saranai trumpet.

The First Day

The first day of the festival is dedicated to the ritual of receiving the costume of Goddess Po Inu Nagar at the Po Inu Nagar Temple in Huu Duc Hamlet, Phuoc Huu Commune, Ninh Phuoc District. According to legend, the Ra Glai people are the Cham people’s brothers. Whenever upheavals come, the kings of the Cham people leave their country to seek refuge and entrust their royal costumes to the Ra Glai people. Therefore, at the Kate Festival every year, the Cham people must perform a ritual to welcome and receive the costumes from the Ra Glai people. In the afternoon, the Ra Glai people in Tra No Hamlet, Phuoc Ha Commune, Thuan Nam District, Ninh Thuan Province, bring the costume of Goddess Po Inu Nagar to the Cham people. The ritual of receiving the costume of Goddess Po Inu Nagar is held first because the Cham people consider Po Inu Nagar to be the ancestress of the Cham people. She taught the local people how to grow rice, plant cotton, and weave clothing.

The Second Day (Main Festival Day)

The second day (the main festival day) is for the Kate Festival at the Po Inu Nagar Temple, the Po Klong Garai Tower, and the Po Rome Tower. The festival takes place in all three locations at the same time. In the early morning, the Ra Glai people in Phuoc Dong Hamlet, Phuoc Hau Commune, Ninh Phuoc District, arrive at the Po Klong Garai Tower in Do Vinh Ward, Phan Rang – Thap Cham City, to hand over the costume of King Po Klong Garai to the Cham people. When the procession arrives at the tower, a group of dancers performs a welcome dance in front of the tower. After that, the ritual of asking permission from God Siva to open the door of the tower is held. The offerings include wine, eggs, betel and areca nuts, and water mixed with aloe wood. The following rituals are the bathing and dressing of the statue of King Po Klong Garai. Finally, a man (Kadhar) sings hymns to invite over 20 gods to attend the great ritual. At the same time, the participants pray to the gods for health, happiness, and abundant crops. The great ritual ends with a dance of ba bong (Muk Pay’u).

Similar rituals are also held at the Po Inu Nagar Temple and the Po Rome Tower in Hau Sanh Hamlet, Phuoc Huu Commune, Ninh Phuoc District.

The Third Day

The third day of the festival is for the Kate Festival at the Cham villages. Each Cham village worships its own god. In the morning, the ritual of worshipping the god is held to pray for health, happiness, and abundant crops. The offerings include two chickens, five trays of food, banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake), and fruits. During the festival, many cultural activities and games are held, such as competitions of weaving, carrying water jars on one’s head, football, and singing.