Rituals to express gratitude

The Kate Festival typically takes place in the seventh month of the Cham calendar, around late September to early October in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is held at three temple towers that once belonged to the ancient Panduranga kingdom in present-day Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces: Po Ina Nagar Tower (Phuoc Huu, Khanh Hoa), Po Klong Garai (Do Vinh, Khanh Hoa), and Po Rome (Phuoc Huu, Khanh Hoa).

According to a Cham-French Dictionary compiled in 1906 by French scholars E. Aymonier and A. Cabaton, the term “Kate” originates from “Katik” in Hindu culture, a worship ceremony held in the seventh month of the Cham calendar. Kate also carries the broader meaning of rituals to commemorate ancestors, deities, and kings who contributed to the country and were deified, as well as prayers for favorable weather for Cham farmers and those who work at sea.

Before the festival day, both Cham and Raglai people hold rituals to welcome and escort the ceremonial garments. Raglai people belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language family and live in mountainous areas in the west of present-day Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces. Raglai villagers from La A village in Dong Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, are responsible for bringing Po Ina Nagar’s attire to the temple tower, while Raglai from Phuoc Ha and Phuoc Huu carry the garments of Po Rome and Po Klong Garai.

The traditional garments include skirts, shirts, scarves, hats, bracelets, and golden earrings, preserved by the Raglai community since ancient times. On the main festival day, items such as bowls, cups, and dishes made of bronze, silver, and gold, along with traditional offerings like goats, bananas, betel nuts, corn, beans, and sticky rice, are solemnly brought to the temple towers.

According to Cham legends, the Cham and Raglai people are siblings. The Cham are the elder sister, and the Raglai are the youngest sibling. According to their matrilineal system, the youngest daughter inherits property, keeps family treasures, and serves the ancestors. Therefore, it’s the Raglai people who hold the royal Cham garments in the temple towers.

Offerings used in the worship ritual include goat meat, rice, soup, wine, and fruits. Accompanied by the Kanyi instrument, also known as the Rabap, Master Kadhar sings songs praising the deities. Meanwhile, Master Camanei, the ritual assistant, and Mrs. Bajau, who burns incense to purify the temple tower, ask the god Po Ginuer Mancri (Shiva) for permission to open the tower. This is followed by the ritual bathing of the deity statue, dressing the deity, and finally, the grand ceremony.

Skilled musicians playing Ginang drums, Baranung drums, Hagar, Saranai horns, gongs, rattles, Asang (bamboo flutes), Tangek (percussion instruments made of two wooden sticks), and Ma la (Raglai musical instruments) serve as catalysts, enhancing the sacred atmosphere inside the mysterious towers. After Mrs. Bajau’s sacred dance concludes, the Kate Festival begins at the village and family level.