Get festive for Tet at Cham cultural center

Girls visit the Cham Cultural Exhibition Center - Photo: Khai Nguyen

The Cham Cultural Exhibition Center in Binh Thuan Province will host a week of cultural events for Tet (Lunar New Year) from January 30 to February 8.

The highlight of the program is the exhibition of royal costumes of the Cham imperial family. See what the Cham kings, queen, princes and princess were wearing – including crowns, seals and swords and betel nut making sets. Also see costumes, musical instruments, objects and products that Cham people used in festivals.

Apart from exhibits of traditional craft villages like brocade weaving and ceramics, the center will also display farming tools such as buffalo carts, fish traps and stone jewelries plus a collection of stone statues of Aspara dancers, Genesa, Avalo Kitecvara Gods, a lion, Linga-Yoni and many documents written in Cham language.

Brocade weavers and pottery makers will demonstrate for visitors, so guests can join contests. Learn how to cook at Cham cake making displays or just enjoy a free cake.

Rija Nugar ( New Year Festival) and folk artistic performances will be on every night during the festival week.

The Cham artist troupe from Bac Binh District will perform Saranai pan-pipe, Yin-Yang couple dance, Po Jija dance, Vai Chai singing and many kinds of ethnic Cham dance and singing.

The center is in Phan Hiep Commune, Bac Binh District, Phan Thiet City.

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Nhan Tower – witness of time

Nhan Tower at nightime in Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen Province - Photo: Dang Hoang Tham

Nha Trang City is famous for its ancient Cham icon - Ba Tower that looks over Xom Bong Bridge, but Tuy Hoa City in Phu Yen Province is equally proud of its own piece of ancient Cham architecture on top of the legendary Nhan Mountain.

If you visit Phu Yen, the 800-year-old Nhan Tower is on the list of attractions with Da Dia Cliff, O Loan Lagoon, Xuan Dai Bay and Vung Ro Port.

The tower’s image is reflected on Da Giang River below, near National Highway No. 1. It was built by the Cham in the late 11th or early 12th centuries. The ancient brick shrine is 25m high, has four stories and each side of its square base is 11m. There are some walking paths and roads to the site.

The valuable vestige of Cham culture has survived many conflicts through the centuries and much of many of the carvings are well preserved.

The view from Nhan Tower is awesome. It looks across endless rice fields, the magnificent Da Bia Mountain and the winding Giang Da River.

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Cham festivities liven up Phan Thiet next month

A file photo shows a traditional dance of Cham people at Po Sah Inu Tower in Phan Thiet City at the Kate Festival - Photo: Khai Nguyen

Preparations have begun for the annual Kate Festival of Cham people next month in Phan Thiet with processions, spirit rituals and lots of food, culture and fun.

At Po Sah Inu Tower in Phan Thiet City on October 6, 7 the highlights of the festival include traditional rituals such as a palanquin procession with costumes of Poh Sah Inu goddess and the Tong on ceremony that chases away poisonous winds. According to the Cham these winds can cause diseases and bring bad luck to families.

Other events include ethnic music and dance shows and Vietnamese cake making contests banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and fatty pork) and banh gung (ginger cake).  Traditional brocade and ceramic exhibitions, folk games and other activities like the tug of war will make it a fun day for all the family.

For anyone interested to learn more about Cham crafts, there will be brocade and ceramic workshops, classes with ethnic musical instruments and talks about traditional rituals.

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