Annual religious and winter season festival of Kalash community Chatar Mas concluded.
CHITRAL: Annual religious and winter season festival of Kalash community ended on Monday at Kalash valley. Before launching this festival male of Kalash community shifting to cattle house during this period no Muslim is allow shaking hands with Kalash. They are trying to be attract attention of Creator Allah Almighty by this way. Kalash people select a child as a Mehter (Ruler) for two days and they obey his all orders issued by the new Mehtar as well as the Mehter also feed them traditional food of rich type. Male use ladies dress while the women folk wearing dress of male to perform as special worship and perform folk dance. On the final day of Chatar Mas they also kick loon (Fox) festival the Kalash people travel towards forest in search of fox. If they found a fox coming toward the population they predict a good year for that New Year otherwise according to their doctrine the New Year will not bring any happiness. They kick early in the morning towards forest for this purpose. As well as Kalash people using leather (statue) to display shape of leopard and bear and teach method of hunting leopard and bear to young generation.
They also use some colors and leather (statue) of some animal for hunting purposes. They display and announce and practice all of their religious festivals during this ceremony. Girls selects songs of love for boys while boys repeat the same practice for girls who singing these songs of love during this 10 days long festival. It is worth to mention here that 3 days before launching this festival Kalash people carrying their best quality animal to their worship places like Jastakhan and Malosh where they kill them from back side instead of slaughtering them properly from throat they sprinkle and spray blood of these animal at their Jastkan and Malosh walls and statue of different animal made from wood and painted on wall which are important parts of their religious worship. By this way they clean their Jastakhan and Malosh with blood of these sacrifice animals and they eat the meat of that animal on the spot and shifting of this sacrifice animal is not allowed to other place. At last they young and teenager like each other and they elope for marriage purpose as marriage is not possible without eloping in Kalash religious. There are other so many colorful programs celebrating during this festival. They celebrate usually 4 festivals in a year. The most famous is Chelum Josht thousand of domestic and foreigners tourists approach Kalash valleys to enthrall from Chelum Josht festival continue for three days May 14-16. Hence due to some restrictions in Kalash religious and sever cold weather Chatar mas is not watching by more tourists. Kalash tribes having 4000 years old history and they are famous in world level for their unique culture, dress, festivals, doctrine and customs.
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