Chilam Joshi

Last updated

Chilam Joshi Festival is a festival celebrated by the Kalash people, living in the Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It marks the commencement of spring within the Kalasha community and is celebrated from the 13th to the 16th of May each year. [1] [2]

Contents

Activities

The four-day festival is held in the middle of May. It serves both spiritual and social purposes. [2] The Kalasha people pray for their livestock's wellbeing, invoking their deity, Goshidai. [2] The festival also facilitates the search for potential marital partners, with announcements made at its conclusion by those successful in this quest. [2] [3] Essential activities of the festival are song and dance, with women traditionally wearing new clothes, and community-wide dances welcoming the spring season. [2]

While the festival spans the three Kalasha Valleys, Bumburet Valley sees the most visitors due to its greater accessibility. [2] Over time, the festival has evolved in sync with shifts in Kalasha culture, as suggested by anthropological studies. [2] It has become a platform for the community to exhibit their culture to a wider audience, contributing to their economy by attracting tourists. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yama in world religions</span>

Yama is the Hindu deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld. Belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities, Yama is said to have been the first mortal who died in the Vedas. By virtue of precedence, he became the ruler of the departed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kafiristan</span> Historical region of Afghanistan

Kāfiristān, or Kāfirstān, is a historical region that covered present-day Nuristan Province in Afghanistan and its surroundings. This historic region lies on, and mainly comprises, the basins of the rivers Alingar, Pech (Kamah), Landai Sin river and Kunar, and the intervening mountain ranges. It is bounded by the main range of the Hindu Kush on the north, Pakistan's Chitral District to the east, the Kunar Valley in the south and the Alishang River in the west.

Kalash or Kalasha may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuristani languages</span> Language group of the Indo-Iranian language family

The Nuristani languages, also known as Kafiri languages, are one of the three groups within the Indo-Iranian language family, alongside the much larger Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups. They have approximately 130,000 speakers primarily in eastern Afghanistan and a few adjacent valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Chitral District, Pakistan. The region inhabited by the Nuristanis is located in the southern Hindu Kush mountains, and is drained by the Alingar River in the west, the Pech River in the center, and the Landai Sin and Kunar rivers in the east. More broadly, the Nuristan region is located at the northern intersection of the Indian subcontinent and the Iranian plateau. The languages were previously often grouped with Indo-Aryan or Iranian until they were finally classified as forming a third branch in Indo-Iranian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chitral District</span> Former district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 1969–2018

Chitral District was a district in the Malakand Division of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 14 August 1947 to 2018. It was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering an area of 14,850 km², before splitting into Upper and Lower Chitral Districts in 2018. It was the northernmost district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It shared a border with Gilgit-Baltistan to the east and with Swat and Dir districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south. It also shared an international border with Afghanistan to the north and west. Afghanistan's narrow strip of Wakhan Corridor separated Chitral from Tajikistan in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalasha language</span> Indo-Aryan language spoken in Chitral, Pakistan

Kalasha is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Kalash people, in the Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. There are an estimated 4,100 speakers of Kalasha. It is an endangered language and there is an ongoing language shift to Khowar.

Mara or Mrityu Devi is a Sanskrit word meaning "death" or any personification thereof. In Hinduism, Mara is the goddess of death and offerings would be placed at her altar. Though much less popular, some sects of worship do exist in India.

Waigali, also known as Nuristani Kalasha, is a language spoken by about 10,000 Nuristani people of the Waigal Valley in the Nuristan Province of Afghanistan. The native name is Kalaṣa-alâ 'Kalasha-language'. "Waigali" refers to the dialect of the Väi people of the upper part of the Waigal Valley, centered on the town of Waigal, which is distinct from the dialect of the Čima-Nišei people who inhabit the lower valley. The word 'Kalasha' is the native ethnonym for all the speakers of the southern Nuristani languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kho people</span> Ethnolinguistic group in Pakistan

The Kho or Chitrali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the Chitral District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Gupis-Yasin and Ghizer districts in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. They speak an Indo-Aryan language called Khowar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalash people</span> Indigenous ethnoreligious group residing in Chitral, Pakistan

The Kalasha, or Kalash, are an Indo-Aryan indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Tach Sharakat Kalash belongs to an endangered Indigenous culture and language community Kalasha living in the wilderness of Hindu Kush Mountains in the Chitral district of Pakistan. Kalasha are the last remaining pagan tribe numbering 4000 people speaking the ancient Indo-Aryan language Kalasha-mondr. They practice a polytheistic ancestral belief system and Pre-Islamic culture dating back to 3000 B.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumburet</span> Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Bumburet is the largest valley of Kalasha Desh in Lower Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the province of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalasha Valleys</span> Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The Kalasha Valleys are valleys in Chitral District in northern Pakistan. The valleys are surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. The inhabitants of the valley are the Kalash people, who have a unique culture, language and follow a form of ancient Hinduism. As such, the Kalasha Valleys are a source of attraction for Pakistanis as well as International tourists. There are three main valleys. The largest and most populous valley is Bumburet (Mumuret), reached by a road from Ayun in the Kunar Valley. Rumbur is a side valley north of Bumburet. The third valley, Biriu (Birir), is a side valley of the Kunar Valley south of Bumburet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khyber Pakhtunkhwa clothing</span> Traditional clothing worn in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The traditional clothing and accessories worn in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa varies according to the area of the region. The following outfits are generally worn in the area, starting to north to south:

Maureen Patricia Lines, locally known as Bibi Dow of Kalash, was a British author, photographer, social worker and environmentalist who was known for her work on the Kalasha people.

Chawmos is a festival of the Kalash people of Pakistan. It is also sometimes spelled chaumos. It is celebrated for two weeks at winter solstice, at the beginning of the month chawmos mastruk in two weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chitral Museum</span> Museum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Chitral Museum is a museum located in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was established on 8 July 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalasha Dur Museum</span> Archeology museum in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Kalasha Dur Museum, also known as Bumburet Museum, is a museum located in Bumburet Valley, Lower Chitral District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The museum houses a collection related to the culture and history of the Kalash people, as well as of the communities of the wider Hindu Kush area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Chitral District</span> District in Pakistan

Lower Chitral District is a district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urtsuniwar</span> Dialect of the Kalasha language

Urtsuniwar or Urchuniwar is a dialect of Kalasha-mun spoken in the Urtsun Valley in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The total number of speakers of this dialect are estimated to be around 2,900–5,700 peoples.

References

  1. "Chilam Joshi Festival starts on May 13 at Kalash Valley" . Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nawaz, Muhammad Asif. "The Festival of Colours: Chilam Joshi". Youlin Magazine.
  3. Mumtaz, Nihal (23 July 2017). "Lets go to gathering (translated from Urdu)". Jahan Sunday Magazine.