It’s time to welcome summer with full glam and celebration in Chitral and Kalash Valley. They celebrate the 7 days festival where they welcome the new season known as Chilam joshi. It is also a golden opportunity for singles to find a suitable match as well.
Culturally rich Pakistan witnessed another colorful festival in the near past. It is the time of the Chilam Joshi festival in the beautiful valleys of Chitral and Kalash including Bamburet, Birir, and Rambur. It is a four to seven days celebration to welcome summers in the region. Moreover, it is the most famous festival that tourists from all over the world came to witness. In the mid of May, this festival is held with full glitz and glam. This year it starts from the 12th of May to the 17th of May, 2022. KPK Government officials also attended the sacred yet alluring festival to spread the message of peace.
Chilam Joshi celebrates to bring peace, prosperity, and God’s appreciation to the house. For seven days they pray to their gods and fairies. Along with that, they distribute milk, butter, and other delicacies for religious purposes. In the evening they start celebrating with beautiful soulful music and dance. All the young girls and boys gather around and dance to their fullest. It is a rumor that fairies also join them while dancing, but only one pious man can see them.
Additionally, this festival is a dream for many single souls. At this festival girls and boys can choose their potential partners. After all the arrangements, their marriage was announce on the last day of the festival. In a rough estimate, girls spend around Rs. 20,000 on this festival.
Unknown Facts
- They decorate their holy places and houses with walnut branches and flowers.
- Gilparik is a ritual where they distributes milk among family members and it continues for 10 days during the festival.
- They dance a specific form called Cha, in which Kalasha girls first make a group, clasp shoulders and perform their dance in a circle.
- A sacred song Gatch is played, which is basically a pray for abundance of milk. In short it is played to please God so that their houses never ran our of milk {Prosperity).