CHITRAL
The Kalasha Tribes Annual Religious Festival, Chelam Josh, also known as Joshi in local language, ended in Bomburit Valley with all its colors, festivities with sweet memories of the local and good numbers of foreign tourists.
However, the festival continues in Kalash Valley, Brier. In this festival, Kalash men play drums while Kalash women dance shoulder to shoulder in a circular circle singing religious songs. Their families decorate their hats with notes of one hundred, five hundred and thousand rupees.
It is considered as a sign of respect and dignity for them. By noon, Kalash women and children from different villages gathered in groups to dance to the beat of the dholak (drums), singing songs and dancing.
After noon, Kalash people hold walnut branches and leaves in their hands and wave them. They move slowly towards the main dance hall i.e. Chirsu, during which Muslims or people of other religions are not allowed to join this procession. When these people reach Charsu, they dance there with great enthusiasm to make their god happy.
After Asr, the religious leaders of Kalash i.e. Qazis pour milk into the wheat crop, which is done for blessing, while the men go away from the Chasso and hold walnut twigs, leaves or flowers in their hands and pray loudly in their own language.
They slowly come towards the dance floor while singing religious songs. But a person belonging to any other religion is not allowed to come in front of them. In Khirsu women also hold twigs and leaves in their hands and wave them and sing songs and wait for men.
Then the men, led by their Qazis, reach the dance hall i.e. Chirsu, they all gathered together and performed a dance while throwing leaves and twigs in their hands on the women. A large number of local and foreign tourists had come to witness this festival.
However, they had to face some difficulties due to the bad roads and lack of seating and other facilities for the tourists. A dozen tourists from Finland visited the Kalash Valley for the first time on the invitation of the Chitral Travel Bureau. When these tourists were asked about this festival, they said that the government and non-government organizations that work for the development of tourism should pay more attention to tourism and take concrete steps to promote it.
They said that more work should be done so that the tourists do not face any difficulties in coming and going, and with more tourists coming here, the economic life of the people of this area will also improve.
Chitral Travel Bureau is committed to projecting a vision for the promotion of responsible, sustainable, regenerative and transformative tourism, particularly with regard to nature-based tourism.
Speaking to APP in Kalash Valley, Chief Executive Officer Syed Harir Shah emphasized the importance of involving local people in the management of destinations, operations and events to reduce the negative impacts of tourism and enhance its benefits.
