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Kalash festival Pakistan, 2024-25. Chitral, KPK...
Kalash festival is an ancient cultural event which takes place every year around the same time in the Kalash Valley, Pakistan. Kalash valleys are surrounded by the Hindukusch mountains. People who live in these valleys are called Kalasha people, who have a unique culture, traditions, and language and follow an ancient form of Hinduism.
Kalash Festival Highlights
- Spectacular mountain vistas
- Experience the pagan culture of the ethnic minority community of Kalash.
- Meet the descendent of Alexander the Great & his troops.
- Dance with the Kalash people and learn their culture.
- UNESCO listed Kalash culture as an intangible cultural heritage
- Enjoy Pakistani cuisine.
Festival Overview
Kalash festival is celebrated by the Kalasha people. Kalasha people live in the Kalash Valley of Pakistan. Kalash Valley is surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kalash festival takes place three times a year, in spring, summer and in the winter. The spring festival is called Chilam Joshi festival, which starts around the 13 of May. Summer festival called Uchal festival, which begins on 20 August. The winter festival is called Choimus Festival, which starts on 15 December. During the festival, people not only drink, dance and have fun in general, but they also worship their Gods and spirits, giving offerings and even sacrifices. Also, during this festival, young men and women choose their future husbands and wives.Kalash festival dates 2024:
- Chilam Joshi Festival (Kalash Spring Festival) 13 May – 16 May
- Uchal Festival (Kalash summer festival) 20 Aug – 22 Aug
- Choimus Festival (Kalash winter festival) 15 Dec – 22 Dec.
Our Kalash festival Tour starts from Islamabad. Islamabad is the purpose-built capital of Pakistan. Our representative will meet you at the Islamabad International Airport and transfer you to the group hotel. The rest of the day is free to recover from the journey. We will meet again in the afternoon to give you a briefing about the Kalash festival tour. The next morning, you will be transferred to the airport to catch the spectacular 1-hour mountain view flight to Chitral. Flights to Chitral are weather-dependent, in case of cancellation, you will drive to Chitral. Arrive in Chitral, check into your hotel, and the rest of the afternoon is free to explore the town.
The next day, you will drive to Kalash Valley. You will spend a few days exploring and enjoying the Kalash festivals, meet the PEGANS, and then follow the same itinerary back to Islamabad. Night stay in Islamabad, and the next morning, we will transfer you to Islamabad International Airport for your flight back home.
We strongly believe that the Kalash festival tour is one of the top cultural retreats in the world. This beautiful valley and the friendly Kalasha people will make your holiday a lifetime journey.
Festivals of Kalash
The people of Kalash celebrate their festivals three times a year.- Spring festival (Chilam Joshi festival)
- Summer Festival (Uchal festival)
- Winter Festival (Choimus festival).
Spring festival – (Chilam Joshi festival)
Spring festival is also known as the Chilam Joshi festival. The people of Kalash celebrate four days across all Kalash valleys. Spring festival begins with “Milk Day”. Ten days before the festival, they store milk from their households. The people of Kalash offered their libation during this event. The festival reflects their unique cultural richness, the harmony in their society and the message of peace to the world. They ask for blessings from their God and pray for a prosperous year of agriculture and the health and safety of their herds. During this festival, Kalashi men and women also chose their life patterns. During the Kalash festival, women wear traditional attire with lively colours, and their dresses have patterns of flowers on them. They wear beaded necklaces which complement their dresses and headgear.Men wear traditional Shalwar Kameez with a waistcoat made of wool. They dance together and sing in valley tribes as it allows them to choose their life partners and announce their names on the last day of the festival.
Kalash Summer festival: (Kalash Uchal festival)
The people of Kalash celebrate the arrival of summer in their way. The summer festival is popular among the Kalasha people. In recent years, this festival has also gained popularity around the world. People from different parts of Pakistan and international tourists attend the summer festival in large numbers. During the festival, Kalasha People pay homage to their God by celebrating the harvest and thanking their God for blessing them with good food and crops. Kalash people take a procession to a high plateau outside the village in Balangkuru and pray to their God, after the prayers, the night-long dance and party begins, which lasts until the early hours of the next morning. The summer festival is celebrated in all the valleys for several days.Kalash Winter festival – ( Kalash Choimus Festival)
Kalash Winter Festival is also called “Choimus” in the local language. This annually observed event symbolises and forecasts the prosperity of the village and the villagers for the new year. During the festival, People go out to seek foxes which are considered good omens. Torch-lit processions arrive from nearby villages at the main traditional dancing place called a “Charsue”. The dancing and festivities are held indoors and last into the night as the local wine is handed around the bonfire. The locals perform rituals for purification during the festival at the dawn of the new year. The tribal elders gather at hilltops to watch the rising sun of the new year, followed by goat sacrifices made to the Goddess, “Jastak”, and the blood is sprinkled at the temple Jastarkhan.We believe that visiting Kalash Valley and experiencing the “Kalash festival” will create a lifelong memory which will stay with you for a long time.
Kalash Festival 2024 | Chilam Joshi / Uchal & Choimus / Trango Adventure
Kalash festival is held in Kalash valley by the people of Kalash in Pakistan. Chilam Joshi, Uchal and Choimus are the main Kalash festivals. Book Now.
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