Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: January 24, 2024 | 
| 中文
Girls playing Ice Hockey at the Khalti Lake, Ghizer (Picture credits to Taseer Beyg from Pamir Times)
The Sevendays Winter Feast 2024, organized by the Tourism and Culture Department, Government of Gilgit Baltistan, began on the 22nd of January at Khalti Lake in the Ghizer district of Gilgit Baltistan. Various sports including Ice Hockey, Curling, Speed Racing, Ice Skating and local games like Basra, Pindok and Baalbut are part of the event. Teams from across Gilgit Baltistan, particularly from the Ghizer district, are participating in the festival, as boys and girls are competing in separate categories.
Kids doing Ice Skating at the Khalti Lake with Pakistani flags
We have seen the rising trend of winter sports festivals in Gilgit Baltistan in recent years, particularly in Hunza, Ghizer and Skardu. The Karakoram Winterlude 2022, in Altit, Hunza, National Ice Hockey and Ice-Skating Championship 2022 in Ghulkin, Gojal, Winter Sports Festival 2023 in Skardu, and the Khalti Winter Sports Festival 2023 in Ghizer were particularly noteworthy. The Sevendays Winter Feast 2024 was initially planned in Skardu, which was then shifted to Hunza, then Naltar, and finally to Khalti in Gupis, Ghizer district, due to the absence of frozen rinks caused by rising temperatures. It is an alarming situation that Gilgit Baltistan has experienced a dramatic shift in weather conditions, as the regions known for getting snowfalls in November and December, have not received any even in January. Keeping this alarming situation in mind and to raise awareness about the menace of climate change, the Winter Festival this year will end with a conference on climate change, where experts will shed light on climate change, its consequences and the ways to mitigate it.
Young girls wearing traditional caps at the Khalti Lake (Picture credits to Taseer Beyg from Pamir Times)
The government of Gilgit Baltistan and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) have collaborated to organize the Women’s Business Festival at the location of the winter festival, in order to promote women's entrepreneurship in the region. Stalls of various handicrafts, organic food items, dry fruits and other accessories made by local women are on display, which attracts the attention of tourists and locals alike. Cultural shows, musical performances, Ice Sculpture Exhibition and folklore narrations are amongst other festivities of the event. Elders of the valley will be narrating folklore to children, enriching their knowledge of mythical and folk stories, while the Ice Sculpture Exhibition will showcase various themes ranging from culture to climate change. Shaap (literal meaning: to give blessings) is also organized at the festival, where various characters wearing costumes will be doing theatrical feats to commemorate and welcome winter solstice. Local traditional games organized in the festival include Baasra, in which players stand on one foot and try to hit the opponents so as to make them tumble to the ground. Pindok is a game where players kick a pindok (sand wrapped in a small cloth) with one foot, and the player who succeeds in keeping it in the air the highest number of times, without it touching the ground, is declared the winner.
Women entrepreneurs at their stalls
Ghizer district, where the Khalti Lake is situated, is one of the most sought-after tourist sites in Gilgit Baltistan, known for its breathtaking lakes, pastures, streams, mountains and trout fish. Land of the Nishan-e-Haider recipient, Havildar Lalak Jan, Ghizer has many tourist attraction sites, including Gupis Fort, Shandur Pass, Darkot Pass, Phandar Lake, Shandur Lake, Qarumbar Lake, Handarap Lake. The popular Khalti Lake, known for its stunning turquoise waters, is surrounded by small villages and mountains. Tourists can find hotels and restaurants in the nearby towns of Gupis, Yasin, Ghakuch and Phander.
Local musicians perform at the festival
Continuous efforts by the provincial government to promote winter sports in Gilgit Baltistan are praiseworthy, as winter festivals are being held every year in different districts of Gilgit Baltistan by the government in collaboration with private enterprises. Gilgit Baltistan’s Chief Secretary, Abrar Ahmed Mirza, along with provincial ministers, Fatah Ullah Khan and Shams Lone, participated in the opening ceremony of the Festival on the 22nd of January at Khalti Lake in Ghizer. Fatah Ullah Khan reiterated his government's plans to expand the horizon of winter sports to other districts as well, emphasizing that Gilgit Baltistan has the talent to compete at the international level.
A player plays Ballbut, a local game of throwing heavy stones
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