Chilam Joshi

What is Chilam Joshi Festival


The Kalash people are a distinct ethnic and religious minority group who practice their own ancient polytheistic religion and cultural traditions.

The Chilam Joshi Festival is held annually in late May or early June to mark the arrival of spring and the blossoming of flowers in the region.

Chilam Joshi Festival is a religious festival celebrated by the Kalash people, living in the Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The festival starts on 13 May.[1]

Activities

The four-day festival is held in the middle of May. During the festival, men and women meet with the aim of finding a spouse. The festival provides an opportunity to celebrate the beginning of summer and to give a message of peace to the world. During Chilam Joshi, the men and women of Kalash pray for the safety of their fields and animals and dance to traditional music and the beat of drums.[2] The Government of Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has been mandated to sponsor the celebration of important religious festivals of the minority communities in Pakistan in each year. The government's official celebration of the festival has been held since 2017 at the village of Bamburate, Chitral.

References
  1. "Chilam Joshi Festival starts on May 13 at Kalash Valley". Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  2. Mumtaz, Nihal (23 July 2017). "Lets go to gathering (translated from Urdu)". Jahan Sunday Magazine.
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