The Famous Chilam Joshi Festival or spring festival of Chitral is set to begin on May 12. The festival is a five days long event that attracts both local and foreign tourists. After more than three decades the spring festival of the Kalash tribe is likely to fall on the days of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The five-day festival is held every year in the middle of May. This festival is not only a welcome to the spring and celebration of the beginning of summer but also a message of peace to the world. During the festival, men and women of the Kalash tribe celebrate spring, rejoice and meet with the aim of finding a spouse.
Kalash, also called Waigali or Wai, are Dardic Indo-Aryan indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They are considered Pakistan’s smallest ethnoreligious group and traditionally practice a unique religion, a form of animism or ancient Hinduism. A prominent number of the Kalasha have gradually converted to Islam over time and today about 50% of their population is Muslim.
The culture of Kalash is full of colors and nature plays a highly significant and spiritual role in their daily life. Sacrifices and festivals are frequently held to give thanks for the abundant resources of their valleys. The three main festivals of Kalasha include the Chilam Joshi in the middle of May, the Uchau in autumn, and the Caumus in midwinter.
Chilam Joshi is celebrated with the spirit of gratitude as the people of Kalash pray for the safety of their fields and animals. The first day of Joshi is “Milk Day”, on which the Kalasha people offer libations of milk that have been saved for ten days prior to the festival.
Kalasha women wear long black robes or “the Black Kafirs”, embroidered with cowrie shells. The music is the beauty of the festival and the people of Kalash dance to the beat of drums. Both men and women share these moments of dancing together during the festivities of Chilam Joshi.
This year, the spring festival is scheduled to commence from May 12 and will continue for five days in the adjacent Bumburate, Birir, and Rumbur valleys. The hype of the festival can be sensed in the air already as the Kalash people renovating their houses as a preparation for the festival. Chitral Bazaar is crowded with women buying new clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and ornaments for the occasion.
In spite of the Covid restrictions and the expected lockdown, advanced booking of rooms had already started for the festival days. The hotel owners in the valley anticipate a huge rush of tourists to the valleys this year.
Mast Wali, a hotel owner, says this year’s Chilam Joshi would attract a multitude of tourists from different parts of the country due to its concurrence with the Eid holidays.
“I’m thinking about pitching tents to accommodate the teeming number of guests as all the 17 rooms of our hotel have already been booked,” Wali said.
The festival will be celebrated by conforming to the SOPs and all safety measures will be implied, according to Wazirzada, Special assistant to the chief minister on minorities’ affairs.
Last year’s Chilam Joshi festival received special guests – Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton. The royal couple was on an official visit to Pakistan and visited the valley on the third day of their five-day trip. They also visited the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range to witness the effects of climate change — one of the key areas of focus of their visit.
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