Indrein greoniac karik. December 20
On the day of December 20,
preparations are made for the great all-night vigil of the Winter Solstice in
honor of Bal’iman’in. It takes place at the Indrein altar in the village of
Batrik. That night, after midnight, the solar deity will bid farewell to the
Kalash for their mythical place of origin, Tsiam. There he will meet the
creator father Di Zaw to whom he will deliver the messages and prayers of his
followers and will remain with him until the next Chawmos.
The name Indrein greonyac karik i.e.
"making baskets for Indrein" refers to one of the customs of the day.
Women and girls of each generation make the greonyac, the ceremonial baskets,
from willow branches. A shepherd from each herd will carry the sacred loaves
for the offering ceremony to the Indrein with his greonyac.
The events of the day are as
follows:
1] Making the greonyac baskets, in
the shape of a pumpkin, with 4 handles made of willow branches. They are 50
centimeters high and 30 centimeters in diameter. Approximately, The women of
each family that has a herd and a flock, weave from a basket, singing hymns to
the Bal’iman’in.
2] Making long "shaqa’ya’k"
chains by the girls of the family. The links of the chains are made of willow
branches. The chains will be used in an event that will take place in the
sanctuary of Indrein at night.
3] Competitive dances and songs
between women belonging to different generations. Each group dances showing off
the basket they have made. With improvised lyrics each group tries to present
it as the best in the village
4] Dinner of the men in the pens
with the meat from the animals sacrificed the previous day. The boys of
"Gos’nik" also participate in this
5] Dinner of the women of each
household with the meat of the animals sacrificed on the altar of Kul’ani Jes’t’ak
the previous day. The girls of Gos’nik also participate.
6] Spinning of goat's wool, making
threads and dyeing with red paint by each housewife. In the evening their men
will tie these threads into long ribbons which they will dedicate to the sacred
bush of the altar of Indrein.
7] Purifying bath of the shepherds
in the sacred spring
8] Grinding of wheat ondjesta in the
watermills by the shepherds
9] Preparation of jau, sacred
breads, in the area of the sheepfolds by the shepherds. They should be of odd
and not even number. They will be placed in greonyacs and will be transported
to the temple of Indrein before the rituals. There each shepherd will dedicate
them to Bal’iman’in as a farewell offering. These loaves are also called
“saras-diuna” meaning purified loaves of offering.
10] Construction of the “C’anj’a”,
large torches. The torches will illuminate the events of the ritual at the
altar of Indrein throughout the Winter Solstice ceremony. Some shepherds make
very tall torches, over 5 meters, to set them on the vertical rock of the
altar. Each torch is made of bundles of long, narrow pine rods. The rods are
tied together with flexible willow rods. The length of the individual rods
varies between 50 and 100 centimeters and their diameter between 2 and 3
centimeters approximately. The resin they contain maintains their flame
throughout the ritual at the altar of Indrein. The construction of the dados is
mainly done by the young people of each settlement. It is accompanied by dances
and songs that refer to the customs of the day.
In the evening after 9 o'clock, the
residents of the villages located low in the Buburet valley, i.e. from the
villages of Anish, Tarasguru Saragzao
etc, start dancing and singing to reach the village of Brun. There the men will
separate from the women. The men will take the road to the village of Batrik
where the men of Batrik and the village of Krakal will also wait. From there
they will ascend to the altar of Indrein. The women will remain in the area of
Brun and will begin with hymns to Bal’iman’in. “In” and “Bal’iman’in” are the
two names of one thing. All the songs and prayers mention these two names. Men
go up to the mountain to meet the Bal’iman’in at the altar of Indrein. Men stay
there whole night. They bow down on their knees in front of “Bal’iman’in”. On
this occasion the “roi” is given to a new man. The one who was given roi before
comes forward. A small lamb is sacrificed and the person who was given “roi”
last year on this occasion says “I was given the roi last year now I give it to
this new person”. The “roi” is the person who will be responsible for all the
sacrifices that will be made by the entire community throughout the year. He is
made the greatest priest. Each time he says a prayer the whole gathering says
“Hesh” in a loud voice.
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