hunza traditional festivals

GINANI

A bitan (shaman) went into trance at a Ginani Festival in Karimabad to communicate with the fairies (Lorimer collection 1923)

Hunza, The traditional “Ginani’’ festival has been celebrated in Central and Lower parts of Hunza valley, with traditional zeal and fervour. Main gatherings were organised in Altit and Aliabad villages. The local community has performed rituals at central places and also performed traditional dances on local tunes. Special traditional dish locally known as Dirum Pitti has been prepared to mark the festival.

Before the construction of KKH, the local community was totally dependant on subsistence farming and during the winter seasons most of the families were also facing shortages of foods. This festival was thus celebrated to mark the beginning of new harvesting season. During the time, when Hunza was an independent principality, these rituals were performed at royal courtyard. This event is called Ginani and Chineer in Hunza, Strublah in Baltistan and Ganoni in Gilgit.

silk route festival

A three-day Silk Route festival will be held from Aug 12 to 14 at Gilgit and Hunza. This was announced at a press briefing held at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

This was announced at a press briefing held at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday.

The press conference was jointly addressed by Punjab Tourism Minister Nadeem Kamran, LCCI Standing Committee on Travel, Tourism and Hospitality chairman Ahmed Shafiq, Indus Guides managing-director Akhtar Mummunka, secretary (tourism) Shahid Mehmood and Masood Ali Khan from Takhleeq Management Company.

Addressing the conference, Shafiq said the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab was extending all possible support to the event. He hoped that the festival would be a big success.

Masood Ali Khan said the festival was being held for the last many years. He termed the law and order condition in Giligit and Hunza fine. He said it was a good opportunity for the TDCP to request the federal government for an inter-provincial meeting on tourism. He proposed that the tourism department of every province should point out three items of tourist attraction ever year; this promotion should go on for three years.

He urged the Ministry of Tourism to work on medical tourism. Khan said India by 2015 would earn $15 billion from medical tourism and in Pakistan this aspect of tourism had not even been touched.

Mr Mummunka, the organiser, said this year the TDCP would add colour to the festival by holding a Basant event. Artists, singers and dancers had been invited from all over Pakistan to participate in the festival, he added.

He said economical packages in collaboration with TDCP would be introduced for educational institutions so that young generation could also be a part of the festivities.