PESHAWAR: The four-day Chilam Josh Festival will be held in three Kalash valleys, including Bumburet, Birir and Rumbur from May 13th to 17th May, 2023.
The annual festival comprises traditional events including dances of Kalash girls and boys to the beats of traditional drums and will be attended by a large number of tourists, including foreigners from all over the world.
The Chilam Josh Festival will start with ‘Milkday,’ in which Kalash people offer libations of milk that had been saved for 10 days prior to the occasion. The celebrations will highlight their cultural richness, plethora of colors and the underlying message of happiness.
During the festival, the Kalash people will seek the blessings of their God and pray for the safety of their herds and crops of the community.
Women usually dress up in traditional clothes of vibrant colors, gold and silver jewelry, and elaborate headgear, while men wear traditional shalwar kameez with a woolen waistcoat. Kalash women and men dance and sing in a circle to the rhythmical chant of drum beats. Kalashi festivals are famous throughout the world and celebrated in different months of the year.
The Chilam Joshi festival starts at Rumbur valley and then festivities extend to other valleys of Kalash. People pray for the protection of their fields and animals before going to their fields and for this purpose, they usually spread milk on their Gods.
On the first day, the Zoshi/Zosh ceremony takes place, where boys and girls go to the higher pastures to pluck wildflowers and walnut leaves to the beat of drums.
On the second day, C’irik pi pi (Milk drinking and distribution day) is held, in which goat stables are decorated with wildflowers and walnut leaves, singing rituals, and ceremonies take place in every village.
On the third day wherein villages get together at the top of the village, distribute dried mulberries and walnuts for the ceremony of newly born babies.
On the fourth day, during the Ghona ceremony, all the villagers of the Kalash community gather at the main venue, and similar rituals and ceremonies are followed.
The KP tourism authority has planned to reopen the PTDC hotels for the attraction and facilitation of tourist, while ensuring security measures for the festival, including the deployment of tourism police for assistance and the safety of visitors.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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