Pakistan, the land of colours
in this video, we are travelling to a lesser-known place on planet earth
I'm not talking about Pakistan but is a remote area which is part of this country
an area where the ancient group of Kalash lives. there are less than
four thousand Kalash people left in the world and we are going to celebrate and
dance with them at their annual Kalash festival
I was just offered a Kalash dress and I'm so overwhelmed with the hospitality
if you haven't heard of Kalash don't worry you are not alone, keep watching to
learn about the Kalash culture and its people
The Kalash valleys are located in the north-west of Pakistan
not too far from the border with Afghanistan
There is no easy way to get here
We had to travel to Islamabad and take a very long road-trip from the capital towards Chitral
We are in Islamabad and we are ready to leave the city.
We are going from Islamabad to Chitra, and we have 10 hours of driving
After leaving the motorway, the roads can be quite bumpy and somewhat dangerous
if you want to travel to Kalash you might want to take a break along the way
some people choose to spend the night in the town of Chitral but we stay in Ayun, instead
which is only 20 kilometres away from Kalash
From here to the Kalash valleys there is no tarmac road
We just crossed that bridge, it is so scary
It’s even scarier when you think that this is the main road
the only connection between the people of Kalash and the rest of the world
The Kalash live in three valleys: Bumburet, Birir and Rumbur
Even in these valleys, they are a minority. They are only 20% of the population here
The rest are Muslims, including a high number of people who converted from Kalash to Islam
Kalash is listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage
Here is Bumburet, the most visited valley in Kalash
Education here is a privilege not a right
Only 18% of Kalsh women and 25% of men go to school
Amongst the three valleys, there is only one high school, two secondary schools and 10 primary schools
Kalash and Muslim students, both boys and girls study together
Kalash girls wear their traditional dresses while the Muslim girls wear hijabs and cover their hair
In front of this school, there is a secluded house called “Bashali”, where we are not allowed to film or enter
Women are sent to this house during menstruation and childbirth because they are considered impure
Going to the other valleys is not as smooth as going to Bumburet
We are on a bumpy road in a very narrow road and we don't have seatbelts
health and safety is zero, here
People here don’t complain about their situation, instead, they help each other and try to improve it
The Kalash are happy people. They celebrate different festivals throughout the year
One of the main ones is called Utchal and it takes place on the 22nd of August
The preparations for the festival start days before the main event.
Women here make their own dresses which they will wear at the festival
During the day people are busy with their normal life
farming, preparing food and so on
but when the Sun sets down they gather here
every night before the festival to dance and sing. This is the way they worship their God
The day of the festival starts early with their purification ceremony
In this ceremony, only men are allowed to attend
they thank their God by eating some special bread and goat cheese
later, everyone heads to the top of this hill to worship and dance
This festival attracts both local and international tourists
I was just offered a Kalash dress and I am so overwhelmed with the hospitality here
Actually, this is a Kalash dress. This is the cap. you should put on your head and keep it on all the time
The Kalash festival is unique and somewhat taboo
Here is the only part in Pakistan people can drink alcohol
women are free to choose their partner and easily divorce,
which is not the case in the neighbouring regions
Kalash people are very proud of their culture and they are trying to preserve it
but they also want to have a better the education system and health facilities
to be able to improve their lives and their community