Festivals
SPRING FESTIVAL (14,15 & 16th May)
The zhoshi
Spring is welcomed to the valleys with girls singing and dancing on the roofs for the Kirik Pushik, the festival of the first flower blooming. In spring women are allowed to enter the restricted upper valleys, with the Siu Wajik rite, in which a girl crushes three walnuts as an offering on the boundary bridge.
Joshi, the main spring festival, is held in May. All the houses and the temple of the goddess Jeshtak are decorated with walnut branches and flowers, and milk is distributed to all the villagers. Dressed in new clothes, the women dance while the elder men sing songs of epic and romance. All the fairies in the hills gather, it is said, to watch the Kalasha wave walnut branches in time to the chanting of sacred Gatch (asking for abundant milk) by the religious leaderAfter this festival is announced people store milk in their barns where they keep their livestock. Those who have big flocks and milk in greater quantity, they do not start storing their milk from the first day. Those who have small flocks they start storing their milk from the first day to the tenth day. After ten days are completed women and children go to bring the yellow flowers ( bisha push) from the pastures. These flowers bloom when no other flower blooms in the area. The next day early in the morning these flower are put in the doors of all the houses and barns and the temple doors. All the doors of the buildings owned by Kalash are decorated with these flowers. On this same day the festival starts, this day’s celebration is called “c’irik pipi”. Which means, “drink the milk.” The words of this phrase are the polite accents of the two words “c’ir” milk “pi” drink. In this festival women sing the melodious song “para para may bayaa zhoshi gos’t’ para c’irik pipi o shishamond hawaw.” Which means “I went to my brothers barn on the festival of zhoshi and look it is the time of c’irik pipi.” This meaning is what the words say but it can have another meaning too. Some of the songs sung in festivals have funny meanings some times they are about love. So women go from one barn to the other and collect milk for home. Every village has its own festival of the day. The rich family who can afford to make cheese, they give cheese whole the villagers. After this festival they take the goats to the higher pastures.We celebrate the arrival of spring season with new hopes and aspiration.
ITINERARY: Day 01 Islamabad.
Morning arrive Islamabad, meet and transfer to hotel. afternoon city sightseeing of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. overnight hotel.
Day 02 Peshawar .
Morning after breakfast drive to Peshawar, afternoon visit the archeological museum and old city tour. overnight hotel.
Day 03 Dir .
Drive by road to Dir, enroute visit the Takht Bhai monastery and Churchill picket at the Malakand Fort, meals and overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Chitral.
Morning drive by four-wheel jeeps to Chitral through over the scenic Lawari passes and continues drive to Chitral. meals and overnight hotel.
Day 05 Kalash valley.
Morning drive to Kalash valleys, afternoon excursion to Rambur and visit the local houses to observe the life style of Kalash tribe. Evening enjoy the Kalash dance and music. meals and overnight hotel.
Day 6 Kalash Spring Festival in Bumburet:
Day 7 Enjoy Festival:
Day 8 Enjoy the end of the festival.
SUMMER FESTIVAL (20,21 & 22nd August)
The Ucaw festival
This festival is celebrated in the month called “ucaw mastruk.” The rat’nat’ festival is celebrated for many weeks and then comes ucaw festival. First the elders in all villages announce the festival. The next day after the declaration day is the preparation day. In these two days the “rat’nat’” festival is celebrated. After the preparation day is gone the festival “ucaw” starts. It starts with the ceremonies performed on the high places or the altars. Offerings are offered and food is eaten on the alters by the men only. Women eat at home. After all this the festival starts, and it goes on till late night or till the next morning in Bumborate. The ucaw festival is celebrated for the harvesting and bringing the cheese from the higher pastures.
ITINERARY: Day 01 Islamabad.
Morning arrive Islamabad, meet and transfer to hotel. afternoon city sightseeing of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. overnight hotel.
Day 02 Peshawar .
Morning after breakfast drive to Peshawar, afternoon visit the archeological museum and old city tour. overnight hotel.
Day 03 Dir .
Drive by road to Dir, enroute visit the Takht Bhai monastery and Churchill picket at the Malakand Fort, meals and overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Chitral.
Morning drive by four-wheel jeeps to Chitral through over the scenic Lawari passes and continues drive to Chitral. meals and overnight hotel.
Day 05 Kalash valley.
Morning drive to Kalash valleys, afternoon excursion to Rambur and visit the local houses to observe the life style of Kalash tribe. Evening enjoy the Kalash dance and music. meals and overnight hotel.
WINTER FESTIVAL (15th to 22nd December)
Chawmos
The festival chawmos is celebrated when the month called “chawmos mastruk” starts. Chawmos is also called “ghona chawmos yat” which means, the great memorial chawmos festival. The Chawmos festival is celebrated without using any musical instruments in the valleys Rumbur and Bumborate, whereas in Birir valley they use the musical instruments. It is a series of celebration. This festival is celebrated after the Kalash finish all their fieldwork and store all the sources of their basic needs. By this time of the year cheese is stored fruit and vegetables and grains are stored. When every thing gets home then this festival is celebrated because this festival requires many offerings. And every ceremony in this festival has its own traditions, foods and songs. The chawmos festival is considered to be a very sacred festival. For every ceremony there is a specific measure of grain that has to be made into flour. After all it is the start of the New Year. It is the last festival of the year. It is the time when the entier family sacrifice and eat meat, it is celebrated by feasting, drinking of wine and merry making.
This solstice is marked with the great two-week Chaumos festival, for which, the Kalasha believe, the god Balimain comes from distant Tsyam (the mythical Kalasha homeland). To welcome him, the village is purified with juniper bonfires, and every married female receives a gift of bread. Men bake little models of animals made of wheat paste, which the boys stone in a mock hunt. Food is offered at the temple of Jeshtak, and the people withdraw while the ancestors, drawn by the lit torches, come to eat the offering outside. The men, women and households are purified in separate rituals, and forty goats are sacrificed. While men are the main participants in the Chaumos celebration, women sing to entertain the god. Balimain presents himself to count the strength of the Kalasha men who encircle their women in a display of unity. The festival ends with a great bonfire and a fox hunt to predict about the coming year.
Shandur Polo Festival ( 7-9th July)
Polo the Game of Kings, and the king of all games are traditionally played in the Northern areas of Pakistan and Chitral for over the centuries, it has been played between the small kingdoms, villages and rival groups for the deciding of the disputes among them, and the losing team has to be lost of
the land, territory, or pay the heavy fine and some times death punishment. the free style polo game have been practicing for the centuries between the traditional rival teams of Gilgit and Chitral each summer month of July on the Shandur pass (3734 meters) the highest polo field in the world. a three days polo tournament organized by the Gilgit and Chitral polo clubs and local administration.
ITINERARY: Day 01 Islamabad.
Morning arrive Islamabad, meet and transfer to hotel. afternoon city sightseeing of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. overnight hotel.
Day 02 Peshawar .
Morning after breakfast drive to Peshawar, afternoon visit the archeological museum and old city tour. overnight hotel.
Day 03 Dir .
Drive by road to Dir, enroute visit the Takht Bhai monastery and Churchill picket at the Malakand Fort, meals and overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Chitral.
Morning drive by four-wheel jeeps to Chitral through over the scenic Lawari passes and continues drive to Chitral. meals and overnight hotel.
Day 05 Kalash valley.
Morning drive to Kalash valleys, afternoon excursion to Rambur and visit the local houses to observe the life style of Kalash tribe. Evening enjoy the Kalash dance and music. meals and overnight hotel.
Day 06 Mastuj .
Morning after breakfast drive to Mastuj, passing through the scenic valleys and villages with commanding view of Trich mir, the highest peak in Hindukush range over night hotel.
Day 07 Shandur pass.
After breakfast drive to Shandur pass, a very scenic drive through the scenic villages of laspur, meals and overnight in tents.
Day 08-09 Shandur (polo match).
During the day enjoy the polo match and evening local music and dancing. meals and overnight in tents.
Day 10 Phander.
Drive to Phander a very scenic and beautiful village with lush green meadow and crystal clear streams ideal for trout fishing. Overnight in tents.
Day 11 Gilgit .
Morning drive to Gilgit, passing through the lush green valleys of punial, sherqila and visit the 7th century Ad Buddha rock carving at Kargha near Gilgit. overnight hotel.
Day 12 Besham.
Morning after break fast drive to Besham, through the Karakuram high way along the mighty Indus river and enjoy the magnificent views of Nanga Parbat, 8125 meters. Overnight hotel.
Day 13 Islamabad.
After break fast drive to Islamabad, passing through the scenic abbot bad and Mansehra valleys. enroute visit the archeological museum at Taxila. over night hotel.
Day 14 Depart. to your home bound flights.
