Chitral: The Kailash Valley, located in the northern part of
Chitral, is famous worldwide for its unique culture and traditions, where death
is considered an occasion for joy rather than sorrow.
According to the Kailash community, a person who dies is
free from all the sufferings of life and travels to a new world, which is why
he is sent off with joy. This tradition is called ‘Chek Festival’ or
celebration.
According to reports, the people of the Kailash Valley
consider death a happy stage of reuniting with their ancestors. Under this
thinking, instead of mourning for three days, ceremonies are held on the death
of an individual with dance, music and drum beats.
According to tradition, the body is kept in a community
hall, locally known as “Jasta Khan”, where people perform the traditional dance
“Palaay”, during which the community and family members together sacrifice 30
to 40 goats, which is called “Shruga” or a communal feast, and this act also
provides financial support to the bereaved family.
Although close relatives express grief on this occasion, the
overall atmosphere is one of celebration, which experts describe as a unique
blend of grief and joy.
According to research reports (2022 to 2025), in the past,
the bodies were kept in open wooden coffins, but due to the increase in
population and the influence of nearby Muslim populations, the trend of burial
is now increasing.
During the burial, personal items such as fruit, money or
other belongings are placed with the deceased to reflect their life, while on
some occasions a wooden statue of a "gundau" is also placed, however,
this tradition is also gradually decreasing over time.
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