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Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding · 2018
Suri Jagek (observing the sun)
The Kalasha valleys, Hindu Kush, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Kalasha people’s traditional way of reading the sun, moon, stars and shadows against their mountains to know the weather, the seasons and the right days for sowing and festivals.
What it is
Suri Jagek — “observing the sun” — is a traditional meteorological and astronomical practice. The Kalasha watch the sun, moon and stars, and the shadows they cast, in relation to the peaks and ridges around them, and read from them the turn of the seasons and the weather ahead.
What it is used for
It tells the community when to sow seeds and how to manage their livestock, warns of natural hazards, and sets the calendar of social events, festivals, feasts and religious ceremonies. The knowledge is passed on through folk stories, songs, proverbs and sayings.
Why it needs safeguarding
Fewer young people learn it, many of its keepers are elderly, and modern weather forecasting is taking its place. It was the first element from Pakistan to be inscribed on UNESCO’s Urgent Safeguarding List.