To ensure COVID-19 prevention and control, especially amid complex developments of the pandemic in the province’s Phan Thiet city, this year's celebration is not held at Po Sah Inu tower as usual.
The managing board of the tower and dignitaries in Ham Thuan Bac district on October 5 performed the most important ritual of the festival in a simple, solemn and safe manner, closely following COVID-19 preventive measures.
Followers were called on to celebrate the festival with their families, refrain from gathering in crowds and going outside in order to curb the spread of the pandemic.
Falling on the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, Kate is the biggest event in the year of the Cham followers of Brahmanism to pay respect to gods and pray for productive harvests and multiple natural and human resources.
In 2017, the Kate Festival was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is one of the 15 biggest festivals in the country, attracting thousands of domestic and international visitors every year.
There are about 153,000 Cham people in Vietnam, of whom over 41,000 live in Binh Thuan, mainly in Bac Binh, Tuy Phong, Ham Thuan Bac and Tanh Linh districts.
