Chilam Zhoshi (Joshi) Festival: Kalash Valley Chitral:

People living in Kalash Valley (Kalasha) celebrate four festivals in a year. Among them, Kalasha Spring Festival (Zhoshi) is considered dynamic and beautiful.

This festival starts every year on May 14 and ends on the 16th of the month. The purpose of this festival is to welcome the spring. And pray to God to fill the new year with prosperity, happiness, better crop production, good health, and basic needs of life. Like increased dairy products, animal herds, fruits, honey production, maintaining good relations, etc.

All the habitants of Kalash Valley including men, women, boys, and girls perform the rites of dancing. During this festival, Kalasha wears new dresses and outfits that look full of life and happiness.

This provides a beautiful environment as the greenery spreads all over the valley and for enjoyment and fun the weather suits the festival. A lot of foreign and national tourists visit the valley to watch and enjoy the colorful festival. They become inspired by how the Kalasha people celebrate the festival enthusiastically.

After the announcement of the festival, the Kalasha people stored milk for ten days in their barns (farm buildings used to house animals or store hay and grain), then they drank the milk on Chirikpipi.

Push Onik Adua (Flower Bringing Day):

This happens on 13^th May. After ten days are completed women and children go to bring the bis’aush (yellow flowers) from the pastures. So, this day is called “Push onik adua” (flower bringing day). These flowers are also prominent because at that time no other flowers bloom in this area.

On this day, a ritual called s’is’au is also performed. At night Kalasha people come together and dance by singing their songs.

Ch-irikpipi (Milk Drink Day):

It is the combination of two words ch-ir means milk and pi means drink. That’s why this day’s celebration is called the “Drink the milk” celebration. On this day the festival starts, which happens on the 14th of May. Where in the morning the flowers are put in the doors of all the houses, barns, and temples. All the buildings owned by Kalasha are decorated with flowers. The children from the whole valley come together to the sound of the drums.

In this festival women sing the melodious and sweet cultural song “para para may bayaazhoshigos’t’ para c’hirikpipi o shishamond hawaw”. Which means “I went to my brothers barn on the festival of Zhoshi and look it’s the time of c’hirikpipi”.

First Day of Zhoshi:

15^th May is the first day of Zhoshi it is also called “tshatakzhoshi” which means the smaller Zhoshi festival. On this day people come out of their houses dancing on the beaten drum. And also a ceremony called “Gulparik” is performed in each village.

In this ceremony, the newborn babies since the last Zhoshi are brought with their parents. And the ceremony is performed with zeal and zest. At the end of this day, they all come to one place. Kalasha elders sing folk songs together and traditional dances are also performed there.

Ghona Zhoshi:

After the smaller Zhoshi on 16^th May the big Zhoshi comes, it is the second day of Zhoshi. Various kinds of dances were also performed that day, it is a big day for Kalasha people so that is why it is a big Zhoshi. A lot of rituals are also performed on this day. But the main characteristic of this day of Zhoshi is the selection of life partners for unmarried Kalasha boys and girls, who announce their choices on this occasion. It is not necessary that all unmarried persons should choose their life partners but some prefer to get married during this occasion and some like to ask boys to send some people to engage the couple as it has been part of their culture and traditions.

Here the colorful and amusing Zhoshi festival ends with all its fun, but a part of Zhoshi is also celebrated a few days later which is called Marc’waki Zhoshi.

Marc’waki Zhoshi (Mulberry Ripeness Celebration):

In the last week of May after seven or ten days, Kalasha celebrates the final part of the Zhoshi festival which is Marc’waki Zhoshi which means “Mulberry ripeness celebration”. It is a short-term festival which lasts for a single day only. After that, Kalasha shifts their cattle to grazing houses.

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