By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: The winter festival Chitramas of Kalash people concluded here on Sunday in the Kalash valley of Bumburate which had started on December 7 whose closing day coincided with the first day of the year of Kalash calendar.
A grand concluding ceremony was held in the Bumburate valley where Kalash elites from the other two valleys of Rumbur and Birir participated where the festival had concluded two days earlier.
The concluding day started with a ceremony in which a captivated fox was set free by the panel of bitans (Kalash religious leaders) drawn from all the three Kalash valleys who made prediction for the year on the basis of the orientation of the wild animal after being released.
Imran Kabir Kalash, a former member of zilla council, told Dawn that the fox leaped towards the stream after its release in the nearby forest which meant that the valleys will see extended winter and more rainfall but pleasant summer season with no sign of natural disasters.
He said that the bitans also predicted high product of milk and honey in the valley during the summer season on which depended the sustenance of the Kalash people and this prediction has pleased the people beyond measure.
The groups of men and women, who had gone to seclusion five days before the end of the festival as one of the religious rituals of the festival, also came out on this occasion who had volunteered to remain in seclusion in the cattle houses to please their gods and goddesses.
The Kalash women and children were attired in new traditional dresses and arrived at the central dancing place (jastakhan) situated at Broon village in the centre of the valley in small groups singing the special song of the occasion and joined the grand assembly.
The winter festival chitramas makes the Kalash people to prepare themselves for the coming days of winter during which the valleys received many feet of snow confining the residents inside their homes which meant a virtual hibernation.
Mr. Kabir said that announcement of the engagements of young boys and girls were also made on the concluding day of the festival who will solemnize their marriage during the spring festival Chilim Jusht to be held in the month of May next.
He said that this year, as many twelve couples made the announcement of engagement but the number was not final and it may increase by double while it did not include the figure from the other two valleys.
The Kalash people hailed the contribution of Tourism Corporation of Kyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) during the festival which had provided solar-powered lanterns for lighting during the nights as one of the rituals and providing facilities in the dancing places in all the three valleys.
A large number of people had thronged the venue from other villages of Chitral while tourists from different parts of the country were also seen in the concluding day ceremony while the sunny day had made the weather pleasant but hardly any foreigner could be seen except a few Chinese.
Osama Bashir from Islamabad, said that he had been coming to the valley on the occasion of chitramas festival for the last ten years regularly without any break and each time he come with more number of friends and relatives.
He said that all the Kalash valleys were fantastically beautiful and the people with ancient civilizations were unexampled while their ways of life was quite simple and interesting.
Ayesha Ashraf, one of the friends of Mr. Bashir, said that she had came from Scotland and found Bumburate a dream-come-true valley and enjoyed herself of the festival.
She said that tourists should come here in large number to this valley which has all the charms and all that which a tourist wanted while the people are highly hospitable and whole heartedly welcomed the guests.
Deputy commissioner Chitral Naveed Ahmed, who was present in the venue of concluding ceremony, said that he had made elaborate arrangement for the festival with the coordination of Chitral Task Force and police.
He said that it was a complete peace and tranquility during the festival which lasted for fifteen days and the outsiders were kept away from the places where the Kalash people performed their rituals.
District police officer Waseem Riaz Khan was also in attendance.
