BUMBURATE-Below the snow-capped Hindu Kush mountains people of Kalash Valley celebrated the four-day Chilam Joshi Festival (Festival to welcome spring)
The annual festival was held in three Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur where Kalasha girls and boys danced to the tune of traditional drum beats. A large number of tourists including foreigners from all over the world attended the festival.
The Chilam Joshi Festival started with ‘Milkday’ on which Kalash people offered libations of milk that had been saved for 10 days prior to the occasion.
The celebration highlighted their cultural richness, plethora of colours and the underlying message of peace. In the festival the Kalasha people seek the blessing of their God and pray for the safety of herds and crops of the community.
The women were dressed up in traditional clothes of vibrant colours and were adorned with dayglo floral pattern with the combination of beaded necklaces, gold and silver jewellery and elaborate headgear. Men wore 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. The tribe’s number has shrunk to only about 4,000 people whose economy is based on agriculture.