Culture Tourism: A Unique Feature Of KP Requires Govt Patronage For Promotion Through Digital Technology

Known as land of Ghandhara civilization, Khyber Pakthunkhwa was always a centre of attraction for tourists due to its diversified culture, mouth-watering cuisines and primitive civilization besides unique cultural heritage that needed government patronage for its promotion especially through digital technology to attract foreigner

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :Known as land of Ghandhara civilization, Khyber Pakthunkhwa was always a centre of attraction for tourists due to its diversified culture, mouth-watering cuisines and primitive civilization besides unique cultural heritage that needed government patronage for its promotion especially through digital technology to attract foreigners.

From DI Khan to Swat and Khyber to Chitral, Khyber Pakthunkhwa was attracting monks, archeologists, architects, art lovers and historians throughout the year and started exploring the rich Ghandara civilization at Swat, Dir, Mardan and Peshawar with plenty of heritage sites.

Besides other districts, Chitral's Kalash valley also draws culture lovers from within the country and abroad due to its unique cultural dances and festivals besides natural and mountainous beauty.

The four-day Chilam Josh festival would be held from May 13-17 at Bumburet, Birir and Rumbur in Kalash valleys for which all arrangements were being finalized.

A Tourism and Culture Authority spokesman told APP on Friday that the annual festival comprises traditional events including cultural dances of Kalash girls and boys to beats of traditional drums would be attended by a large number of tourists, including foreigners from all over the world.

The festival will start with 'Milkday,' in which Kalash people offer libations of milk that had been saved for 10 days prior to the occasion. The celebrations will highlight their cultural richness, plethora of colours and the underlying message of happiness and joys.

During the festival, Kalash people will seek the blessings of their god and pray for the safety of their herds and crops of the community. Women usually dress up in traditional clothes of vibrant colours, gold and silver jewelry, and elaborate headgear, while men wear traditional shalwar kameez with a woolen waistcoat. Kalash women and men dance and sing in a circle to the rhythmical chant of drum beats.

Kalashi festivals are famous throughout the world and celebrated in different months of the year. The festival starts at Rumbur valley and then festivities extend to other valleys of Kalash. People pray for the protection of their fields and animals before going to their fields and for this purpose, they usually spread milk on their Gods.

On the first day, the Z'oshi/Zosh ceremony takes place, where boys and girls go to the higher pastures to pluck wildflowers and walnut leaves to the beat of drums.

On the second day, C'irik pi pi (Milk drinking and distribution day) is held, in which goat stables are decorated with wildflowers and walnut leaves, singing rituals, and ceremonies take place in every village.

On the third day, villages get together at the top of the village, distribute dried mulberries and walnuts for the ceremony of newly born babies while on the fourth day, during the Ghona ceremony, all the villagers of the Kalash community gather at the main venue, and similar rituals and ceremonies are followed.

The spokesman said KP tourism authority has planned to reopen the PTDC hotels for the attraction and facilitation of tourists, while ensuring security measures for the festival, including the deployment of tourism police for assistance and the safety of visitors.

Similarly, Khattak and Mehsud dances were still popular in Waziristan, Khyber, Nowshera, Karak and others districts of the KP attracting music and dance lovers from across the country and worldwide due to its unique style.

Being the national dance of Pakistan, Khattak dance introduced by Pashtun's Khattak tribe in the 14th century is still being performed mostly on the occasions of weddings, births and welcoming functions of VIPs in the province including merged tribal districts, leaving an indelible imprint on the minds of spectators.

In spite of the passing of six centuries, Khattak dance is still able to withstand the change of times as its essence depicts an agility of a dancer, who performs at the thrilling beat of drums and from the core of his heart.

Khattak dance passed from one generation to another in Khattak tribe and gave birth to many dances including braghoni, shahdola, bangra, balballah, chatrali, tamseeli cana and charri dana that made deep inroads in our society.

The Khattaks mostly lived in Karak, Nowshera and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had used to dance on mesmerizing movement of swords as a warm-up exercise prior to taking on their rival tribes in a battlefield or achieving success against other warring tribes in wars.

The dance was also popular during Mughal and British eras, who recruited Khattaks in their respective armies for their heroic warfare skills on battlefields. The Mughals rulers were highly impressed with the bravery of Khattak tribesmen including freedom fighter Khushal Khan Khattak, who stood for the freedom and unity of Pakhtoons and highly praised their heroic battlefield performances.

With the passage of time, he said the dance became a permanent feature of their funfairs, marriages, engagements, welcoming of guests and sports events that gave the tribe an additional emblem of their distinct identity in KP.

Khattak dance is performed in a bright and colourful traditional 'shalwar' and custom-made frock like 'Kamiz' in addition to a red embroidered waistcoat with a large decorative scarf tied around the waist. The dancers wave glittering swords in the air and swirl to drumbeats and tunes of the surnai that often enthralled the spectators.