The Kalash annual winter festival of Choimus ended with traditional fanfare, including the popular Kalash dance, enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

The end of the fifteen-day festival in Chitral’s Kalash valley coincides with the winter solstice, which is the shortest day and longest night of the year. The ancient festival of Choimus ends with various rituals. The key ones are based on three themes: regeneration, fertility and unification.

The beginning of the festival is marked by the sun setting behind a certain tree located on one of the ridges closing the valley to the west. The kazi or guardian of the ancestral tradition observes this and declares Choimus time has come. The Rumbur valley is where this is takes place.

In the festival, the Kalasha wear traditional clothes and welcomed the new year by dancing to traditional music and drums.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority provided facilities to local and foreign tourists who attended the festival.