::..The Kalasha Times..::

A Review and General Analysis of Chamos Festival of 2006
With suggestion and precautions.

Chamos festival takes place every year on month of December in united valleys of kalash known as (Rukmu, Mumuret and Biriu). During these day’s Kalasha community are performing certain traditional festivites, which are very important for kalash community according to our oral tradition.
Kalasha people are monotheist people but according to some source kalash people are polytheist but, now this concept is totally wrong we kalash are believe in one God locally known as Dezao.The Chamos festival is very complex due some critical activites.the people of kalash valleys are performing their oral tradition very well, but some aspects of life is disturbing their festivities. Because Chamos (winter festival) is taking place in the month of December which is very cold in the region of District Chitral.
But here I would like to share my experience and eyewitness on the recent festival.
Because most of people are saying that the kalash culture is finishing day by day and I am totally agree with them but I would like to say that Kalasha people are suffering from some external and internal problem what are the problem?

Affect of the Environment on the Festival
This year in initial step I mean the month December. It was two of December when snowfall was started in the kalash valleys include district Chitral.
When the festival has started there are some days during these occasion kalash community are performing their festivities day night. But due to very cold weather most of the young generation can’t stay at the place for long time because we have no capacity to tolerate the intensity of coldness and we left to home for taking rest.
Like these matters if the young generation I mean we are not able to do these festivities it means that we are not sincere with our culture. But there are some good and loving people too they are very emotional for performing their festivities. But due to high cold weather the teenagers are not able to see and performing their festivities although they are coming to the place but for short time. If we compare these with Zoshe (Spring Festival)
Where all sort of people are gathering there and seems better with colour of the women dress and beautiful weather.

Affect of Education:
The Chamos is most spiritual and especially the songs competition between grills and boys and go to temple for sacrifices goats. Now I would like to say that how education is influencing on Kalasha festivities.
1. Unfortunately we have no good education facilities especially in kalash valleys due to our oral tradition other people are discouraging our young generation in schools so that they are felling that we have bad tradition and starting avoid from their festivities.
2. Lack of knowledge our people are impressing from the people who are coming as preachers in the valleys and giving them good lectures as well as good example as a result they people are converting themselves.
Because of this kind of misunderstanding some of Kalasha are converted to Islam recently.

Suggestion for Educational Institutes in the Country where Minorities are Studying:

1. Teachers should encourage instead of discouraging those students who are belongs to minority like Kalasha community.
2. In Kalash primary schools the basic education should be written in kalash especially the kalash oral tradition should be a part of text curriculum.

Precautions should be done while living in Kalasha Valleys:

They people who are visiting Kalasha valleys the should get complete information about pure and impure places.
Because there are some places which forbidden for male and some areas, which are strictly prohibited for females.
1. They female should go to bashali (Kalasha Maternity Home) while living in Kalasha valleys during their period of menstruation and for delivery of baby if they are living with Kalasha family.
2. Tourists shouldn’t enter to Bashali if they are entered in this place once they shouldn’t enter in Kalasha villages.
3. They tourist who are coming to Kalasha valleys they should take a local kalash guide when they are in the valleys for right information about kalash culture and their area.
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