CHITRAL: The major festival of Kalash people, Chilim Jusht, heralding the arrival of spring season, will commence from May 14 in Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur valleys of Chitral.

Preparations have already started for the festival in all the three valleys that included renovation of houses and tailoring traditional dresses as well collection of ingredients to cook special cuisines for the occasion.

Groups of Kalash men, women and children throng Chitral Bazaar on daily basis for shopping. There is the same hustle and bustle at the shopping centres that is witnessed before the Eid.

The Kalash people spend lavishly on the occasion to steal a march on others in the race of ostentation and many of them go beyond their financial capacity to show their af fluence.

The Kalash women are seen stitching traditional dress for the festival and the artisans are saidtobe experiencing agreatrush of the customers.

Luke Rahmat, an educated Kalash young man from Bumburate, said that the rising prices of essential commodities affected purchasing power of the poor community. `A common girl spends Rs20,000 to Rs50,000 on the occasion,` he added.

Mr Rahmat said that most of the people got loan for buying different items for the festivalafter exhausting their cash. `A Kalash girl cannot af ford to remain far behind her fellows in showing of f the costly dresses,` he added.

The festival provides the unmarried boys and girls with a chance to choose their life partners. They announce the names of their future life partners on the last day of the festival.

A police of ficial told Dawn that extraordinary arrangements had been made for ensuring security during the festival. He said that police were being deployed in the valleys as per security plan designed for the occasion.

He said that foreign tourists would alsoreach the valleys to enjoy the colourful event of the primitive people and a number of dignitaries were also scheduled to arrive there.

Meanwhile, Maqbool Azam, the executive engineer of communication and works, said that roads leading to the Kalash valleys were cleared of debris to ensure smooth journey of tourists.

He said that special arrangements were made to restore vehicular traffic on the valley roads in case those were blocked by natural hazards. He added that maintenance staff would be made available round the clock for the purpose.