Kalash winter festival mesmerises Chitral valley
A Kalash girl dances during the fire making competition as other children sing and clap in Kalash valley of Chitral. Photo: Express
The Kalasha winter festival - Chawmoss – is being celebrated with religious zeal and zest as the Kalash children collected twigs and branches of pine trees and made bonfires to participate in the high flame and smoke competitions on Friday.
Starting December 7 and to be continued till 22nd of the current month, the phase of bonfire competitions in the Chawmoss festival was completed in which a number of children participated.
The children gathered at their sacred place, collected twigs and branches of pine trees and made bonfire to show skills in making high flames and smoke.
Making high flames and smoke is meant to welcome peace, prosperity, minerals, green grass and love among the people of the indigenous tribe in the ensuing winter and spring seasons. The children while holding green leaves and branches of trees also sang songs and performed chorus to liven up the festival.
Local and foreign tourists have also come to the valley to see and enjoy the unique culture, traditions and religious rites. The officials of Tourism Department have issued directives to the quarters concerned to provide every facility to the locals and foreign tourists, who had come for Chawmoss festival.
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The provincial government is providing foolproof security, lighting and transportation to the tourists and local residents so they could celebrate the event in a befitting manner.
The Kalasha winter festival ‘Chawmoss’ is the biggest festival of the year. As winter starts around mid-December, the Chawmoss festival begins.
The festival is celebrated for the divine, the living and dead relatives, crops and the goats to be safeguarded, while the community, the village and the valley are purified prior to the coming year. Sighting a fox is a good omen and great efforts are made in this regard.
At dusk, torch-lit processions are brought out from all the nearby villages. The processions then culminate at the ‘Charsue’, which is the main customary dancing place. Most of the festivities are indoors where the local wine is handed around as the dance gathers momentum. It is carried out till late in the night around the bonfire.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2021.