Thousands gather at Cham tower for Kate Festival in Vietnam's Khanh Hoa

The festival, taking place from October 9 to 11, features traditional religious rituals, cultural performances, sports activities and folk games.

Ceremonial music filled the ancient tower complex as Cham dignitaries performed rituals to honor deities and ancestors and pray for favorable weather, good harvests and peace.

From early morning, people from Cham villages flocked to the tower in Do Vinh Ward, in the former Ninh Thuan Province, to attend ceremonies and reunite with relatives.

Visitors also joined the crowds to learn about Cham cultural traditions.

The main rituals included carrying ceremonial attire, opening the tower doors, bathing the deity's statue, dressing the deity in ceremonial garments and conducting the main ceremony.

These practices have been preserved and passed down through generations.

For the Cham Balamon community, Kate is not only an annual celebration but also an occasion to reconnect with cultural roots and pass traditional customs and beliefs on to younger generations.

Dang Thi Thoa, 67, from a Cham village in Phuoc Huu Commune, said participating in the ceremonies at Po Klong Garai Tower was a source of joy each seventh month of the Cham calendar, which falls in October on the Gregorian calendar.

She said the solemn rituals made her proud of her community's cultural heritage and expressed hope that these traditions would continue to be preserved and introduced to more visitors.

Po Klong Garai Tower is a representative example of Cham architecture in the southern part of Khanh Hoa Province.

During the festival, the historical site serves as both a venue for religious ceremonies and a gathering place for the Cham community.

Following the ceremonies at the towers, celebrations continue in Cham villages, clans and individual households, where families prepare offerings to express gratitude to deities and ancestors and pray for good fortune in the new year according to the Cham calendar.

Cultural performances, sports activities and folk games also provide opportunities for exchanges among Cham villages and allow visitors to gain a closer understanding of the community's cultural life.

The annual festival helps maintain Cham traditions, with older generations practicing customary rituals and younger people learning about the cultural values passed down through their families and community.