Foreign tourists to attend 4-day Chilam Joshi festival in Kalash Valley

ISLAMABAD: A four-day Chilam Joshi Festival would be held in Kalash Valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur from May 11.

The annual festival is held in three Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur where Kalash girls and boys dance to the tune of traditional drum beats.

A large number of tourists including foreigners from all over the world would participate in the festival.

The Chilam Joshi Festival would be started with ‘Milkday’ on which Kalash people offers libations of milk that had been saved for 10 days prior to the occasion.

The celebrations would highlight their cultural richness, plethora of colours and the underlying message of peace.

In the festival, the Kalash people would seek the blessing of their God and pray for the safety of herds and crops of the community.

The women would be dressed up in traditional clothes of vibrant colours, gold and silver jewellery and elaborate headgear.

Men wear traditional shalwar kameez with a woolen waistcoat.

The Kalash women and men dance and sing in a circle on the rhythmical chant of drum beats.

Kalashi festivals are famous throughout the world. Three festivals are more important, celebrated in different months of year.

Chilam Joshi is the most important festival celebrated in May for four days. Uchal festival held in autumn season and Chomos festival in mid- winters.

Chilam Joshi festival starts at Rumbur valley and then moves on to other valleys of Kalash. In this festival, Kalashi people pray for the safeguard of their fields and animals before going to their fields and for this purpose they used to spread milk on their Gods.