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Kalash Chilam Joshi Festival
May 13 - 2027 (day: 16)Festivities run throughout the dayKalash Valleys (Bumburet), Chitral
The ancient spring festival of the Kalash people - four days of traditional dance, music and rituals in the valleys of Chitral.
Chilam Joshi is the most famous spring festival of the Kalash people, held each May in the remote valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir in Chitral district.
For four days, the Kalash celebrate the arrival of spring with ancient rituals, traditional dancing around the jash (dance circle), goat sacrifices and the sharing of milk and bread. Young Kalash men and women dress in their finest traditional embroidered clothes and headdresses adorned with cowrie shells.
Visitors are warmly welcomed to observe the festivities, making Chilam Joshi one of the most culturally significant and photogenic events in Pakistan.
For four days, the Kalash celebrate the arrival of spring with ancient rituals, traditional dancing around the jash (dance circle), goat sacrifices and the sharing of milk and bread. Young Kalash men and women dress in their finest traditional embroidered clothes and headdresses adorned with cowrie shells.
Visitors are warmly welcomed to observe the festivities, making Chilam Joshi one of the most culturally significant and photogenic events in Pakistan.
Event Highlights
- Traditional Kalash dance around the jash circle
- Colourful embroidered costumes and headdresses
- Ancient spring rituals and goat sacrifice ceremonies
- A rare window into one of the world's oldest living cultures
Gallery
