CHITRAL: The Uchal festival, celebrated by the Kalash community, will conclude today (Sunday) following two days of vibrant celebrations, singing and dancing across the Bumburate and Rumbur valleys.

The annual event serves essentially as a thanksgiving occasion to celebrate the successful harvesting and threshing of wheat and barley crops in the region.

Kalash men, women and children marched in a lively procession to the traditional dancing grounds located in the upper part of the village.

Divided into age-specific groups, the participants performed traditional dances and sang folklore until late afternoon.

Following ancient customs, the elders of the Rumbur Valley later marched to the adjoining Bumburate Valley.

The formal concluding ceremony commenced after sunset at the central dancing place, known as the Charsu, where festivities are scheduled to continue until an hour before sunrise.

To maintain the momentum of the merrymaking, Kalash men and women danced in continuous shifts throughout the night. The rhythmic beats of traditional drums echoed and reverberated across the surrounding mountains of the valley.

The festival also marks a pivotal transition in the nomadic lifestyle of the Kalash people. With the advent of the summer season, the community migrates to high-altitude pastures to feed their goats.

During their three-month stay in the highlands, they prepare vital dairy products including cheese and ghee from goat milk.

As the summer season comes to its end, the Kalash descend to lower-altitude pastures for about a month and a half, eventually returning to their permanent homes in September.

A day prior, the first concluding ceremony took place in the Rumbur Valley. Elders performed traditional rituals by placing grains from the newly harvested crop and finest-quality cheese at the altar of their deity, accompanied by special songs to seek divine pleasure.

Speaking to Dawn, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) for the Ayun circle, Hassan Ullah, confirmed that a large number of foreign tourists had arrived in the valleys to witness the unique cultural festivities, alongside a substantial influx of domestic visitors.

The police official added that special security arrangements had been deployed across the valleys to ensure the Kalash community could perform their sacred rituals peacefully and without any apprehension.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2026