Kalash religion in Pakistan
The Kalash or Kalasha, are an ethnic group found in the Hindu Kush mountain range in the Chitral district of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan.[1] The total population of Kalash religious people ranges from 40,000 to 50,000. The culture of Kalash people is unique and differs drastically from the various ethnic groups surrounding them. They are polytheists and nature plays a highly significant and spiritual role in their daily life. As part of their religious tradition, sacrifices are offered and festivals held to give thanks for the abundant resources of their three valleys. Kalash mythology and folklore has been compared to that of ancient Greece, but they are much closer to Indo-Iranian (Vedic and pre-Zoroastrian) traditions.[2] The Kalash are considered to be an indigenous people of Asia, with their ancestors migrating to Afghanistan from a distant place in South Asia which the Kalash call "Tsiyam" in their folk songs and epics.[3] This site is said to be near Jalalabad and Lughman according to Morgenstierne.[4]
The Kalasha observe many festivals in a year, their major festivals are:
- Joshi, celebrated in May to welcome the spring
- Uchaw, observed in late August to ensure good crops of wheat
- Pul/Poh, observed September, only in the Birir Valley
- Chaumos, observed in December for more than two weeks, it is the grand festival of the Kalasha tribe and it is celebrated to welcome New Year
Persecution[edit]
The Kalash people are often referred to as Kalash Kafirs by the local Muslims and have been subjected to increasing incidents of killings, rape and seizure of their lands.[5] As per the Kalash, forced conversions, robberies, and attacks endanger their culture and faith.[5][6] Kalasha gravestones are desecrated and the symbolic carved horses on Kalasha altars are destroyed.[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Kalash - New World Encyclopedia". www.newworldencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ↑ "Kalash Culture". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwww2.unitar.org - ↑ Pakistan Geographical Review. Pakistan Geographical Review. 1969. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Kalasha – Voiceless Nation Teeters on the Brink of Extinction". persecution.org. 2 July 2019.
- ↑ Craig, Tim (16 August 2016). "A little-known Pakistani tribe that loves wine and whiskey fears its Muslim neighbors". Washington Post.
- ↑ "The fate of the Kalasha". PRI.
