The Chilam Joshi festival left hundreds of international and local tourists – including a squad of 22 Malaysian motorbikers – with fond recollections of the dance performances on tones of drums and pipes, indigenous instruments known for their melodic tones.
The celebration finished with a variety of funfair and religious activities in the picturesque Bamburet valley. The celebration, which celebrates the entrance of spring, was held in the three Kalash valleys of Bamburet, Birir, and Rambur.
Local villagers presented dried fruits and other presents to visitors and guests as part of religious and cultural customs. On the final day, marriage rituals for young boys and girls were also performed.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, in collaboration with the Tourism Department and the Lower Chitral district government, had made the necessary provisions for the event, allowing visitors and local people to celebrate the festival in a proper manner.
The major visitor was Wazirzada, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Minority Affairs.
The celebration was attended by Deputy Commissioner Chitral Lower Anwarul Haq and others, in addition to thousands of visitors and local inhabitants.
According to the organisers, this year’s involvement of local and foreign tourists was phenomenal, and nearly all hotels in Bamburet valley were filled well in advance of the festival’s commencement. Malaysian bikers, and domestic and international visitors, including French, Italians, and Australians, remained in Chitral for many days, enjoying the local culture, customs, tourism sites, and festivals in the gorgeous valleys.
A group of 22 Malaysian motorcyclists also took part in the festival’s adventure tourism activities. The bikers admired the picturesque splendour of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as the distinctive Kalash culture.
Malaysian travellers visited the Qaqlasht meadows, Shandur Pass, and the world’s highest polo pitch at Shandur before departing for Garam Chashma.
Chilimjusht is the most important and longest of the three Kalash festivities, lasting three to four days. Young girls and boys sing and dance in groups in community centres, residences are adorned, and the Kalash wear new clothing prepared especially for the occasion.
The festival’s major attraction is the selection of life mates for unmarried males and girls. They dance to traditional music and drumbeats, thanking God Goshidai for protecting their herds during the spring and summer seasons.
The Kalash females lavishly purchase garments and jewels for the ceremony, and the occasion is utilised to display their financial affluence. Such celebrations are being highlighted in order to promote the tranquil valleys, enable local and international tourists’ access to the province’s gorgeous places, and give them improved amenities throughout their stay.
Earlier, the event began simultaneously at the picturesque Bamburet, Birir, and Rambur valleys in the Lower Chitral district.
