Chilam Joshi Festival

Chilam Joshi Festival also spelt Chilim Joshi, is a festival celebrated by the Kalash people, living in the Kalasha Valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of 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]^[3]

Activities

The three to four-day festival is held in the middle of May. It serves both spiritual and social purposes.^[2]^[4] 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]^[5] 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]

References

^ "Chilam Joshi Festival starts on May 13 at Kalash Valley". The News International. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Nawaz, Muhammad Asif. "The Festival of Colours: Chilam Joshi". Youlin Magazine.
^ Marri, Kohi (15 July 2018). "The Kalash way of life". Herald Magazine.
^ "Chilim Jusht spring festival concludes in Chitral". Dawn Newspaper. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
^ Mumtaz, Nihal (23 July 2017). "Lets go to gathering (translated from Urdu)". Jahan Sunday Magazine.

External links

Media related to Chilam Joshi Festival at Wikimedia Commons

Kalash Chilam Joshi Festival - Hunza Guides Pakistan
Chilam Joshi Festival - Chitral
"کافرستان میں چلم جوش تہوار". BBC Urdu (in Urdu). 19 May 2011.

This festival-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Chilam Joshi Festival starts on May 13 at Kalash Valley". The News International. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2017.

[auto-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Nawaz, Muhammad Asif. "The Festival of Colours: Chilam Joshi". Youlin Magazine.

[3] Marri, Kohi (15 July 2018). "The Kalash way of life". Herald Magazine.

[4] "Chilim Jusht spring festival concludes in Chitral". Dawn Newspaper. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2025.

[5] Mumtaz, Nihal (23 July 2017). "Lets go to gathering (translated from Urdu)". Jahan Sunday Magazine.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]