Chilimjusht festival begins in Kalash valley

PESHAWAR: The Chilimjusht or Joshi festival kicked off on Thursday to welcome the spring season in the scenic Kalash valley in Chitral.

Organised by the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) and district administration of Chitral, Saramat Khan, the religious leader of Kalash tribe and elder of Sharakat family, formally inaugurated the festival by beating the drum and performing traditional dances by the Kalash people.

The four-day Chilimjusht festival, which heralds the arrival of spring, is usually celebrated in the three Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur every year.TCKP Managing Director Mushtaq Ahmed Khan said that proper arrangements had been made to celebrate the festival in a befitting manner. He said the department would extend every possible support to the Kalash tribe so that people could revive their traditions and customs and celebrate their religious rites.