Pagan Christmas
Winter Feasts of the Kalasha of the Hindu Kush
Augusto S. Cacopardo
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First published in Italian by Sellerio editore as Natale Pagano
Copyright © 2010 Sellerio editore, Palermo
Revised and updated by the author for its publication in the United Kingdom, published by
Gingko Library
70 Cadogan Place
London SW1X 9AH
Copyright © Augusto S. Cacopardo 2016
Translation copyright © Augusto S. Cacopardo 2016
The rights of Augusto S. Cacopardo to be identiied as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, no part of this book may
be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the
publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978 1 909942 84 4
eISBN 978 1 909942 85 1
Typeset in Times by MacGuru Ltd
Printed in Spain
www.gingkolibrary.com
@gingkolibrary
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To little Martin who was born just as this book saw the light
To Amina, his mother
To the memory of my mother, Gianna
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Contents
List of Maps
Acknowledgements
Note on Transliteration
Glossary of Kalasha Words Used in the Text
ix
xiv
xvi
xvii
Introduction
1
The Kalasha and the objectives of the present research 1; The background:
early research on Chaumos 3; The valley of Birir and the present research
6; Theoretical approaches 9; Problems of interpretation 12; Ritual as a
language 15
PART I: THE CONTEXT
1. The Kalasha: Historical and Cultural Context
23
Peristan 23; The Islamization of Chitral and the establishment of the
Muslim kingdom 29; The Kingdom of Chitral 34; An encapsulated society:
the Kalasha political organization 37; A brief note on Chitral and the
Afghan conlict 39
2. The Kalasha: the Traditional Model
41
Kalasha tradition 41; The system of production 42; The Kalasha symbolic
system and its social projections 45; Kalasha polytheism 53
3. The Community of Birir Valley
63
Polytheists and Muslims in Birir 63; Kinship and society in Birir 66; The
annual ritual cycle in Birir 70
PART II: WINTER FEASTS IN BIRIR
4. The Narrative: the Chaumos Festival
81
Arrival in Birir: everyday life in the valley 81; My assistants and the winter
‘ritual logjam’ 84; Acharik and gandalikan – 10 December 91; Desh sucein
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and bhut ungush′ek – 14 December 2006 96; Ruzhias – 15 December 2006
97; Goshtsaraz – 16 December 2006 100; Kalasha song and dance 105;
Nongrat – 17 December 2006 116; Istongas rat – 18 December 2006 123;
Kot shatek – 19 December 2006 139; Aspar nat – 20 December 2006 154;
Dau pachein – 21 December 2006 160
5. The Narration: the Other Winter Feasts
163
Lagaur – 5–7 January 2007 163; Jhanì – 23–25 January 2007 177;
Salgherek and Benjistem – 31 January/1 February 2007 185; Raistam 193
6. The Deep Meaning of the Kalasha Chaumos
195
The Chaumos of Birir and Bumburet/Rumbur: structures in comparison
195; The descent of Balimain into the Bumburet valley 200; Structure and
history in the Kalasha Chaumos 203; The coincidence of opposites in Indian
philosophy and in the Kalasha system 210; Kalasha cosmology 212
PART III: INTERCULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Introduction
223
7. Peristan and the Indian World
225
The pre-Islamic cultures of Nuristan and the Indian world 225; The Kalasha
religious system and the Vedic religion 227; The fundamental opposition in
the Kalasha symbolic system and in Hinduism 231; Chaumos and Indian
religious festivals 234; The Hindus of the Himalayas 235
8. Peristan and Archaic Europe
240
Afinities 240; Winter feasts in European folklore 243; Carnival and
Christmas 244; The personiications of Christmas and Carnival 246; The
Visitor god and the Dying god 250; The deep meaning of the two igures
253; Balimain and Dionysus 255; The Silk Route and the Wine Route 258
9. Peristan and the Proto-Indo-Europeans
262
The reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European culture 262; Peristan and the
Proto-Indo-Europeans 265; Peristan and the tripartite ideology of George
Dumézil 267; The religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans 272; Conclusions
275
Epilogue
Appendix: Chronological Outline of Birir Winter Feasts
Bibliography
Index
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277
281
285
309
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List of Maps
Map I – Peristan and surrounding countries.
Map II – The Chitral valley (south-western section) and the Nuristani valley of
Bashgal. The thicker line in the middle indicates the border between Afghanistan
and Pakistan.
Map III – The three Kalasha valleys and the upper part of the Bashgal valley,
separated by the state border.
Map IV – The valley of Birir.
Maps I, II and III are portions of larger maps prepared by Alberto M. Cacopardo
and drawn by Giovanni Mattioli in 2001. The physical features on the maps are
based on the US Air Force Tactical Pilotage charts, 1:500.000 (St. Louis 1981),
but several other sources have been used (see Cacopardo & Cacopardo 2001: 317).
Map IV was prepared by Augusto S. Cacopardo and drawn by Giovanni Mattioli.
It is based, for the physical part, on aerial photos available at the site http://www.
bing.com/maps/; toponyms are mostly derived from direct observation.
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Augusto S Cacopardo