Festival Dates: 13th May – 16th May
Chilam Joshi Festival is one the most vital Kalash festivals. Kalash Festival of Chilam Joshi is also known as Kalash spring festival. The Kalash people celebrate this four day festival across all three Kalash valleys of Rambur, Bumburet and Birir. A large number of domestic and foreign tourists attend the Chilam Joshi festival every year.
Chilam Joshi begins with “Milk day”. Ten days prior to the festival, The Kalash people store milk from their households. On the day of the festival the people of Kalash offer their libation. The festival reflects their unique cultural richness, the harmony in their society and message of peace to the world. They ask for blessing from the God and pray for a prosperous year of agriculture and health and safety of their herds.
The main objective behind the Kalash festival of Chilam Joshi is that Kalash men and women can find themselves a spouse to get married. The women wear traditional attire with lively colors and hair dressers have patterns of flowers on it. They wear beaded necklaces which compliments their dresses and head gears.
Men wear traditional Shalwar Kameez with a waistcoat made of wool. They dance together and sing in a circle on drum beats. Every year this festival brings smile to the bachelors and spinsters of Kalash Valley tribes as it gives them an opportunity to choose their life partners and announce their names on the last day of the festival.