Chilimjusht festival concludes

CHITRAL: The Chilimjusht festival concluded in Kalash valleys on Thursday with a record number of tourists participating in the event.

Sponsored by the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP), the Chilimjusht or Joshi festival attracted a large number of foreign and domestic tourists besides students and enjoyed the event for three days.

Members Provincial Assembly from Kalash, Wazirzada, Ravi Kumar and Ranjit Singh also attended the concluding ceremony at Bamburet. Wazirzada said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Minister for Tourism Muhammad Atif Khan were taking a special interest in the promotion of tourism and cultural activities, particularly the indigenous Kalash culture.

The MPA said that Kalash culture and religion had special importance in the valley, which attracted thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. He said that roads and other infrastructures would be constructed to facilitate the Kalash community and tourists in the valleys.

The members of the Kalash community later presented cloak and Chitrali caps to lawmakers as gifts. Earlier in the day, the Kalash people sprinkled milk on their deities and prayed for the good fortune.

The women and children also distributed cheese and milk among the children. Attired in their traditional dresses, the women, children and men danced and sang together to celebrate the festival.

The elderly Kalash women and children distributed milk and yogurt of goats and sheep among the children for drinking and eating. The Kalash people, including men, women and children in groups along with their goats and sheep go to the fields and green pastures.

The Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had established a tent village in Bamburet valley for the stay of tourists. A large number of foreign tourists also turned up to enjoy the festivities. Tourists from Germany, France, Japan and elsewhere in the world arrived in the Kalash valley and enjoyed the festival.

The festival, which kicked off on May 14 at the three Kalash valleys of Bamburet, Birir and Rambur, marked the arrival of the summer season.