Kalash festival is celebrated by the Kalasha people. Kalasha people lives in the Kalash valley of Pakistan. Kalash valley is surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kalash festival takes place three times a year, spring, summer and in the winter. Spring festival called Chilam Joshi festival which starts around 13 of May. Summer festival called Uchal festival, which starts on 20 August. Winter festival is called Choimus Festival, which starts on 15 December. During the festival, people not only drink, dance and have fun in general but they also worship their Gods and spirits, giving offerings and even sacrifices. Also, during this festival young men and women choose their future husbands and wives.

Kalash Winter festival is also called “Choimus” in the local language. This annually observed event symbolises and forecasts prosperity of the village and its people in the coming year. During the festival People go out to seek foxes which is considered as a good omens. Torch lit processions arrives from nearby villages at the main traditional dancing place called a “Charsue”. The dancing and festivities are held indoor that go late into the night as the local wine is handed around the bonfire. The locals perform rituals for purification during the festival at the dawn of the new year. The tribal elders gather at hilltops to watch the rising sun of the new year that is followed by goat sacrifices made to the Goddess, “Jastak”, and the blood is sprinkled at the temple Jastarkhan.

We believe that visiting Kalash valley and experiencing the “Kalash festival” will create a life long memory which will stay with you for a long time.