When May rolls around, the valleys of Birir, Rambur, and Bamburet in Chitral are abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming festival of Chilam Joshi celebrated by the Kalasha. They practice a religion close to animism and are said to be Dardic Indo-Aryan indigenous people. Also known as Waigali or Wai, it is rumoured that they are descended from Alexander the Great, but many historians venture a guess that they migrated from somewhere south. Yet, others talk of them being descendants of the Gandhari people.
The people of Kalash are one of the smallest ethnoreligious minorities in Pakistan, with a population of around 3,000 people. Syed Harir Shah, a tour operator that arranges tours to the valleys, commented, “Conversion to Islam by mostly girls and migration of Kalash people are the two reasons for a recent reduction in the numbers of the Kalash population… The government of Pakistan and the UN are making efforts to preserve the culture and minimize this diminishing trend.”
The spring festival falls in May and has been celebrated officially for some years. Wazir Zada, a local of the valleys and member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly, explained, “It begins on the thirteenth or fourteenth of May in Rambur and moves on to Bamburet before ending in Birir on the fourth day… The biggest celebrations take place in Bamburet, the largest of the three valleys.”
For the longest time, tourists were rarely seen in the valleys due to militant threats and activities. After military operations in the region, tourism flourished once again. Shah reported, “Foreign tourists were not allowed to move without armed escorts in previous years,” Shah said. “This year, they were allowed free movement and the opportunity to communicate with the locals.”
In 2019, Junaid Khan, the Director-General of the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP), explained the updated administrative plans for making sure that the festival faired on without a hitch. He said, “We also ensured smooth traveling and accommodation in the valleys by mobilizing several government departments.” Furthermore, TKCP offered assistance to the local community in festival arrangements and waste management arrangements. The department’s efforts led to the roads and tunnels’ smooth operations. Khan further added that TCKP allotted parking bays to avoid traffic jams to and fro from Kalash. After the local hotels were at full occupancy, a tent village was erected for the tourists. According to the Twitter account providing official updates of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, foreigners from Australia, Italy, and France stayed in Chitral.
Purpose and Rituals of the Festival
The preparations for the festival are said to start more than a month before the actual dates. The locals redecorate their residences, purchase and stitch new clothing items for the festival, and other arrangements. The festival exists to mark the beginning of summer whilst honouring and welcoming the faeries of the mountains that exist according to their beliefs.
The Kalasha women wear traditional robes stitched with bright and colourful beads and other adornments with a matching headdress. The Kalasha men wear a traditional shalwar kameez with a traditional topi. As Sayeda Gul, a local woman, elaborated, “Joshi is a religious spring festival in which girls wear traditional, heavily embroidered black cotton clothes of vibrant colors and colourful glass bead necklaces and dance with boys to the tune of traditional music.”
One of the main features of this highly celebrated event is the local men and women searching for their future partners during the 4-day event. Abdul Khaliq, a local, explained a few rituals of the events, “Goat milk is spread on the gods to get their blessings during Joshi… People distribute goat cheese, milk, and other dairy products among each other and guests before taking their animals to pastures in the higher lands… Every year, two or three dozen people announce the names of their life partners on the last day of the festival in the presence of the whole community.”
The festival starts with people decorating their homes with walnut branches and flowers. Milk and wine are shared in households. The first day of the festival is often called the “milk day”, as a ritual known as “gulparik” takes place during which infants are officially baptised with milk. During the festival, the locals pray to their God for the safety and prosperity of their lands and herds. Dancing and beating of the drums are carried out throughout the entire festival.
COVID-19’s Impact on the Festivities
The aftermath of COVID-19 hit the valleys hard. The influx of money because of Chilam Joshi was one of the major ways for the locals to earn. The tourists would not only spend money on hotel bookings, food, and merriment but also purchase indigenous materials.
In 2020, when a ban was implemented on all big gatherings in Chitral under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), no non-locals were allowed to visit the festival of Chilam Joshi, and the decision was taken by Chitral Deputy Commissioner Naveed Ahmed and representatives of the Kalasha community. Furthermore, the locals were allowed to carry on their religious rituals of the festival only if they followed COVID-19 SOPs.
Disrespect Exhibited by Tourists Towards the Kalasha
Tourists have always been instructed by the official authorities to respect the traditions of the locals, not take any pictures without consent, and no firearms are allowed. Yet, not many seem to care or follow such details.
The visitors who come to witness the festival are mostly uncouth. It has been observed that many of them take pictures of the locals without their consent and upload it on social media. Young children are often forced to take pictures with large groups. Women are harassed blatantly. Many tourists trespass on private properties while others cause destruction of sorts in graveyards. When the rituals take place, visitors push and shove to get a better vantage point, barely leaving enough room for the locals to perform their activities. After the festival ends, a sea of waste left behind by the tourists can be seen all over the valleys.
