The Glacier Marriage

The grafting of two glaciers to create new glaciers in order to utilize water for irrigation and in some cases to give impetus to hydro power on micro level ; a myth that remained the cultural heritage of the indigenous people of north.It is considered one of the popular natural phenomena in Gilgit-Baltistan. 

The folklore explains that there is a male glacier called "Bero Gamuk" and a female glacier known as "Shochi Gamuk".Male glaciers are grey in colour, possesses debris, while female glaciers are transparent or bluish in color.The male glacier spills little water and moves slowly, while a female glacier is a growing glacier that gives off a lot of water. 

The grafting process requires a piece each of a ‘male’ and ‘female’ glacier weighing approximately 45kg. Villagers pack these pieces in barley hay to make them warmer and carry them in a basket locally called "Karai".Then they transport it to the designated place and cover them with the mixture of mud, ash and close the site with heavy stones. 

On this occasion the villagers usually slaughter an animal and pray for a new glacier's birth after a decade. 

This whole process is confined in a short film directed and produced by Waleem Abbas  a resident of Khomer Yerkot Gilgit.He has been assisted by Mayaro films a local film production house. 

The film was presented in an amateur short film event i.e National Amateur Short Film Festival 2021 sponsored by ISPR and it got third position across the country. 

Please follow up the link to the short film 

https://youtu.be/O-St_jq98Kg