Chillai kalan: The 40-day intense winter Festival in Kashmir Valley
Context: Kashmiris welcome ‘chillai kalan’ with cool pictures
- The 40-day intense winter period “chillai kalan” started in Kashmir valley with sub-zero night temperatures across the region.
- ‘Chillai kalan’, a local term for the 40-day period of harshest period that begins annually from December 21.
- In the Persian tradition, the night of December 21, the longest of the year, is celebrated as Shab-e-Yalda (night of birth) or Shab-e-Chelleh.
- The 40-day chillai kalan is followed by the ‘chillai khurd’ and ‘chillai bacha’, which sees a rise in day temperatures.