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Ginani is an annual crop harvesting festival celebrated in valleys of
Ginani is an annual crop harvesting festival celebrated in valleys of Hunza Hunza may refer to:
* Hunza, Iran
* Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan
** Hunza (princely state), a former principality
** Hunza District, a recently established district
** Hunza River, a waterway
** Hunza Peak, a mou ...
and Nagar, Pakistan. It takes place on the 21st of June—the longest day of the year.
History
Gianni is observed as a celebration of a crop that has come into a position to be harvested. Hunza/Nagar valleys were once remote mountainious valleys, that was subjected to sporadic famines. So the farmers celebrated that their crops are not damaged by extreme weather conditions and they can survive the harsh seasons coming their way.Ginani celebrations
In Hunza the celebrations starts around ten days before the Ginani. Musicians atAltit Fort
Altit Fort ( ur, قلعہ التیت) is an ancient fort in the Altit town in the Hunza valley in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. It was originally home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza state who carried the title of ' Mir', although they move ...
play tunes that are called ''Hareeps'' in Burushaski
Burushaski (; ) is a language isolate spoken by Burusho people, who reside almost entirely in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, with a few hundred speakers in northern Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Pakistan, Burushaski is spoken by people in ...
, for ten days till the Ginani day.
On the day of Ginani, people gather at the a place called ''Chattaq,'' near the royal palace. In the case of Hunza, people gather at chattaq located at Baltit Fort
Baltit Fort () is a fort in the Hunza valley, near the town of Karimabad, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Founded in the 8th century CE, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004.
The Mirs of Hunza ...
.
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
is presented and visits the fields of wheat, where butter is spread over the wheat plants. Prayers are offered for prosperity and for betterment of community. A bunch of wheat plants is taken with them. Wheat grains are extracted from husk and cooked.
Cooked wheat grains are put into ''Diltar (Lassi
Lassi () is a regional name for buttermilk, the traditional dahi (yogurt)–based drink, consumed in the South Asian region. Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices, and sometimes fruit. Salty lassi is similar to doogh, while modern sweet l ...
),'' which is offered to the people gathered there.
Then comes the musical and dance performances. Mir dances first to the music. Then music is played, in a specific order tribes dance to the music.
Earlier, for most of the times Bitans used to perform at Ginani, to foretell the future on the orders of Mir.
See also
*Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...
* Nagar Valley
Nagar (Nagar) is a former princely state and one of the ten districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The valley is along the Karakoram Highway on the way north from the city of Gilgit. The valley is home to many high mountain peaks including Ra ...
* Shamanism in Hunza
* Mir of Hunza
Mir of Hunza was the title of rulers in the Hunza Valley in the Northern Areas, Pakistan.
Etymology
The Mir used to have the Burushaski title of Thum (also ''Tham'' or ''Thom''), later changed to Mir, a Persian form of the Arabic title ''Emi ...
References
{{Reflist Harvest festivals