Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the province of the Pakistan that is located in the North West. The culture of the province is based on the Islamic values and the Pashtun traditions. It is based on the Pashtunwali – a way of living that includes speaking Pashto and wearing Pashtun dresses. The province has a rich culture that include traditional dances, music, clothing and festivals.

The province and its people celebrate all the religious, provincial and national festivals with full enthusiasm and excitement. The religious festivals, that include Eids, are celebrated throughout the province, however, the cultural festivals are mostly held in the areas near Swat, Chitral and Kalam.

Kalam festival:

One of the cultural events of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the famous Kalam Festival that is held every year in the month of July or August. This festival is organized by the province’s tourism department with cooperation of army. The Kalam Festival is celebrated every year since 2010, after the reestablishment of peace in Swat. This festival lasts for a week and a number of activities are planned during the event. These include some traditional activities like the Khattak dance and the Chitral dance, the stalls to promote handcraft displays, cultural shows and music concerts. Some other activities include paragliding, jeep rallies and canoeing.

The festival has immense importance as it attracts tourists from across the globe, along with Head of States. In the year 2015, the chief guests included the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Minister of the province.

Spring festival:

Another festival that is celebrated in the province is on the arrival of the season of spring. The festival is known as The Spring Festival or the Joshi by the Kalasha community. It is celebrated in the hills of the Chitral in the month of May to welcome the Spring. The festival lasts for three days. The festival begins after the dates are announced by the elder people of the tribe. To celebrate the festival, young boys and girls collect yellow flowers and branches of walnut trees to decorate their homes and the walls of the neighborhood. On the first day of the festival, a ceremony called “chirik pipi” is held in which, the tribe fellows distribute and drink milk with their community as a celebration.  In the days of the festival, the men visit shrines to clean and decorate it while the women stay back singing songs and dancing on the beats of the drums. The people also offer sacrifices and have some religious acts.

Uchaw festival:

Another festival that is celebrated is the thanksgiving festival celebrated in the month of August. It is known as Uchaw and is too celebrated in Chitral. The festival takes place to hope for the good wheat crops.

Festival of pul:

The festival of Pul, another festival that is celebrated in the province, is celebrated in month of October by the Kalasha valley of Birir. The people of Kalasha celebrate some other festivals too that include Biramor, a festival that is celebrated in the winters. Another major festival celebrated by the tribe is the Chawmos, which is the religious festival and it lasts the longest of all the festivals celebrated in the area. It continues for a total of fourteen days and people celebrate it by dancing, singing and offering sacrifices. The celebration is done to enjoy the end of year and celebrate the hard work, field work and harvest. It is the last festival of the year celebrated by the people.  

Some other festivals celebrated in the province include on the arrival of the spring, where the locals dance around wear colorful clothes and sing their local traditional songs. The Pashtuns also celebrate special events like beginning of the new year and the spring. The arrival of spring is celebrated in some Pashtun communities as a day of “Nava Wroz.”

Bazukashi festival:

Another very famous festival is the Buzakashi that is celebrated by the Pakhtuns. In the festival, the main event is a game where people climb on the horseback and are divided into teams. The game lasts for days in different tournaments. The game is similar to polo, except for the fact that the ball that is used in polo is replaced with a goat’s head in Buzakashi.