If you are planning to visit Kalash Valley then must visit Kalash Valley festivals. A complete guide is here. Explore the beautiful valleys of Kalash Rumbur, Bumburet, and Birir.
Kalash Valley Festivals
Table of Contents
Kalash Festivals are one of the very rare and unique festivals for Pakistanis and tourists around the world. It never happens elsewhere on the earth. Kalash people celebrate many festivals around the year.
There are three main important Kalash Festivals Chilam Joshi (spring festival), Choimus (winter festival), and Uchal (summer festival).
Bumburet is the biggest valley of Kalash in district Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Chilam Joshi (Spring Festival)
Chilam Joshi celebration is one of the most vibrant Kalash festivals. Chilam Joshi is also famous as the Spring Festival of Kalash. Chilam Joshi celebrates for four days in the Kalash valleys of Rumbur, Bumburet, and Birir. A large number of local and international tourists come to attend this festival every year.
Chilam Joshi spring festival starts with ‘Milk Day’. The Kalash people store milk from their households ten days before the festival and offer it to people on the day of the festival. They pray for blessings of God and well-off years for agriculture, health, and safety of their people.
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2Chilam Joshi Festival Time
The motto of the Chilam Joshi Kalash festival is that men and women can find themselves a life partner to get married. Men and women wear traditional clothes, especially lovely colors, and make hairstyles with the pattern of flowers on them. They wear heavy necklaces and heavy headgear on the head. While men wear traditional Shalwar Kameez (Pakistan Men Clothes) with a waistcoat that looks handsome.
They dance and sing together in a group of circles on drum beats. This festival brings smiles to the people of Kalash Valley. They choose their life partners and reveal their names on the last day of the festival.
The festival is celebrated every year from 13 May to 16 May for four days, beginning in the early morning at 08:00 am.
Choimus (Winter Festival)
Choimus is also known as Chitirmas, it is a winter festival of the Kalash people. Choimus Kalash Winter Festival is among the four festivals that the people of Kalash Valley celebrate. UNESCO tilted Kalash culture a Cultural Heritage in November 2018.
1Choimus Festival Time
The festival is celebrated every year from 15 December to 22 December and begins in the early morning at 08:00 am.
Uchal (Summer Festival)
Uchal, also known as Utchal, is a summer festival of Kalash people. People thank God for blessing them with suitable food and crops. Corn, Buttermilk, and Cheese are made to celebrate the Uchal festival.
People of the valley go to a high mountain which is situated outside the village in Balangkuru where they pray to God. The long dancing night begins after the prayer at the plateau. Uchal festival is relocated to different places in the valleys and it continues for many days.
The festival is celebrated every year from 20 August to 22 August and begins in the early morning at 08:00 am.
Kalash Festival Dates
| Festivals | Dates |
|---|---|
| Chilam Joshi (Spring Festival) | 13th May to 16th May |
| Uchal (Summer Festival) | 20th August to 22nd August |
| Choimus (Winter Festival) | 15th December to 22nd December |
