Kalash celebrate Savilakehari as part of Chitirmas festival

PESHAWAR: The Kalash people on Monday celebrated the Savilakehari event as part of the ongoing Chitirmas festival.

This event is part and parcel of the Chitirmas, or Chawmoss festival to mark the arrival of winter in the Ramboor, Bamburet and Birrir valleys.

During the Savilakehari festival, men, women and children wearing new and colourful clothes gather at a place. They sing love songs for each other. They dance together and praise each other.

Young Kalash girls wear boys dresses and boys clad themselves in girls clothes and dance in chorus. They express their feelings for each other and announce their marriage.

The community has already celebrated Mandahek and Sharaberayak festivals. A great hustle and bustle was witnessed in Kalash valleys these days as people are celebrating the ongoing Chitirmas festival with great enthusiasm.The people in Ramboor, Bamburet and Birrir valleys seemed excited and happy with the celebration of every event as part of Chitirmas festival.

Men, women and children made various items and toy animals of wheat flour and distributed them.

They made toy animals like cows, Markhor and symbols of their ancestors from the flour and baked them in the fire. These toy animals then placed in the sun.

A number of foreign tourists have reached Kalash valley to enjoy the event with the indigenous tribe.

Beginning on December 7 and to be continued till the 22nd of the current month, the phase of bonfire competitions in the festival has already been completed.