CHITRAL: The 15-day annual winter festival of Kalash community, Chawmoss, ended at Bamburet valley on Thursday amid great funfair.
The valley was illuminated through lights and informative and indicative sign boards at different locations for the facilitation of local tourist’s visitors to perform various rituals.
The Tourist Facilitation Centre of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) in Chitral Town is also ensuring help and guidance for visiting tourists. Rescue 1122 Relief Stations Established by KITE project of Tourism Department remained operational 24/7 for provision of first Aid to Tourists and Local visitors during the festival.
On the final day, the members of the ancient tribes, old and young men, women and children sang and danced to their folk tunes to welcome the new year at the end of the winter solstice.
The main winter event of Chawmoss has been celebrated in the Three Kalash valleys of Rumbur, Birir and Bamburet valleys, simultaneously.
The people of the exotic religion exchanged fruit, vegetables, flowers and dried fruits with
vows to forge love, peace, friendship, and fraternity among themselves.
Earlier, children had cleaned the holy place of Kailash with pine twigs before holding the annual great bonfire. Children, considered a sign of continuity of life, dressed in colourful dresses darted about the village receiving gifts of fresh fruits.
On the final day, the locals gathered at Bamboret valley to jointly conclude the annual religious festival.
As part of their religious customs, the Kailash men and women sang songs and performed folk dance to the beat of drums. Teenagers wearing animal hides and masks enthralled the audience with their performances. Several different colourful events
were also held during the festival. By the end of the festival, young Kalash men and women announced their marriages in front of the audience.
During this ritual called the Savilakehari festival, men, women and children wearing new and colourful clothes gather at a place and sing love songs for each other. They dance together and praise each other.
In this fun-filled festival, young Kailash girls wear boys’ dresses and boys clad themselves in girls’ clothes and dance in the chorus. They express their feelings for each other and announce their marriages.
Regional Police Officer, Malakand Range, Sajjad Khan, Chitral Lower DC Anwarul Haq and DPO Chitral Nasir Mahmud
visited the valley to attend the concluding ceremony of the winter festival.
