CHITRAL: The winter festival of Chitramas concluded in the Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur the other day after nine days of celebrations. The closing day of the festival coincided with the first day of the year of Kalash calendar.

Kalash elites from the Birir and Rumbur valleys also participated in the grand ceremony held in the Bumburate valley where prediction was made on the basis of the orientation of fox`s movement set free in the nearby forest.

Tash Khan Kalash, a government servant in Chitral city, said that the panel of bitans Kalash religious leaders drawn from all the three valleys reached the conclusion that the year would prove to be a pleasant one.

He said that the bitans also predicted a high rate of precipitation for the valley during the year.

The groups of men and women, who had gone into seclusion at the advent of the festival as one of the obligations of their dogma, also came out on this occasion.

Mr Khan said that on this occasion the announcement of the engagements of 15 couples were made. He said that these couples would tie the knot in the spring festival of Chilim Jusht in May next.

The announcement of engagements forms one of the rituals of the festival, he said, adding that Kalash boys and girls waited for long for the formal engagement.

Mr Khan said that Chitramas made theKalash people to prepare themselves for the long and tedious days they would pass inside their homes. The festival attracts very few tourists, partly because of the ban on entry of non-Kalash to their homes and harsh weather. Some hotel runners were, however, critical of the provincial tourism department for not giving proper publicity to the Chitramas festival.