Joshi in Kalash June 2011

Celebrating the return of spring in Chitral.

Ishpata, pronounced eesshhh-paaata, is a common greeting used by the people of the Kalash Valley, in Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Visitors to this area – actually consisting of three valleys, Rumbur, Bumboret and Birir – are greeted by one of the most distinctive communities in northern Pakistan. While two-third of the members of this area are Muslim, the rest are ethnic Kalasha, numbering only around 3500.

The Kalasha are polytheists, believing not only in multiple gods but also in an older pantheon of spirits, saints, demons and fairies. Two of these deities are of particular importance: one, a masculine god, Mahandeo, protects the valley, its crops and wildlife; the other, a feminine god, Jestak, is thought to protect homes and the valley’s human inhabitants.

Following a tradition that stretches back centuries, Kalasha women wear black frocks with colourful embroidery. The men, on the other hand, wear simple shalwar-kameez, but always with a feather in their cap, which differentiates them from Muslim men. Perhaps the most striking difference with the rest of Pakistan is that there is no general segregation between the sexes in Kalasha culture, although during menstruation and childbirth some such rules do apply.

The Kalasha claim to be descendants of the armies of Alexander the Great, although no physical evidence has ever come to light indicating that he passed through this area. Nonetheless, anthropologists have pointed to the Kalasha’s light skin, sandy-coloured hair and green or blue eyes as evidence of a connection with Mediterranean cultures; further, some of their myths are similar to those of ancient Greece.

Kalasha culture holds a special place for social dancing, particularly to mark births, deaths and marriages. They dance alone, in couples and in groups, following specific dance types divided between those done during the day and others done at night. Typically, the oldest, most respected man of the valley stands in the centre of a circle of dancers singing old legends, often accompanied by various types of drum. Thereafter, the women dance around him, their arms around one another’s waists and shoulders, eventually spinning in twos, threes or longer lines, often seeming entranced. As the celebration continues, men and women sing old folk songs together.

The Kalasha celebrate four main festivals every year – Uchal, Phool, Chaumos and Joshi (Chilimjust). The accompanying photographs show the last of these, the Kalash spring festival celebrated in mid-May. During this time, the community is often strengthened by family members returning home for the festivities. While celebrating Joshi, as with any other large festival, the Kalasha tend to move from one valley to another, making merry for a day in one before moving on to the next. In this way, festivals will go on for three or four days, marking the passing of the cold weather, the planting of new crops and the community’s hope for future harvests.