Kalash Spring Festival begins

15 May, 2012

The three-day Kalash Spring Festival started on Monday to mark the rituals practiced by all the people living in all three Kalash valleys of Chitral. Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) is co-ordinating the festival to guide the local and foreign tourists for travelling and staying at Kalash valley, said an official of TCKP while talking to APP here.
Celebrating the Spring Festival, the Kalash people pray to nature and to their ancestors though songs and dances for an abundance of honey and maize in their valleys after Joshi, the Kalash name for the Spring Festival. Visitors are welcomed to the festival every year who also join in the dances with respect as the Kalash people celebrate this festival as part of religious affairs.
The Kalash is an ancient pagan tribe living in three valleys of Chitral namely Bumboret, Birir and Rumour. The Kalash religion is based on myths and superstitions that relate to the relationship between the human, soul and the universe. This relationship, according to Kalash mythology, needs its manifestation in music and dance, which also contribute to the pleasure of gods and goddesses. The Kalash celebrate four major festivals commemorating seasonal change and significant events in agro-pastoral life by offering sacrifices on altars, cooking traditional meals and dancing to traditional music during the week-long events. Joshi or Chillmjusht Festival seeks the blessings of gods and goddesses for the safety of the herds and crops of the Kalash community. Every religious ceremony is accompanied by dancing and rhythmical chant to a beat of the drum.

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