Type Religious Festival Time August Location Across India Festivals call for celebrations and celebrations have
History
Founded by Prophet Zarathustra some 3,500 years ago, Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in Persia until the rise of Islam in the 7th century. Faced with forced conversions, many Zoroastrians fled to India, arriving on the coast of Gujarat. By virtue of their diligence, honesty and adaptability they were soon assimilated into the fabric of Indian society.
The Parsis in India celebrate their New Year using the Shahenshahi calendar, which does not account for Leap Years, which means the festival has moved about 200 days from its original day of the Vernal Equinox and is now celebrated in the month of August.
Navroz is preceded by 10 days of prayers and remembrance of the dead, known as Muktad (derived from Sanskrit words mukti and atma meaning liberation of the soul). It is believed that the souls of the dead return to earth to mingle with their loved ones at this time. To welcome them, agiaris, the temples where Parsis worship, are fragrant with flowers and glowing with diyas in ornate silver vases on marble tables. Priests in flowing white robes and turbans, chant the ancient Avestan prayers, seated in front of the leaping flames of fire in an afargan (chalice) with the sweet, strong scent of sandalwood and myrrh, enveloping the souls of those seated. Families remember their departed loved ones and ask for their blessings. The finest seasonal sweet called malido is laid out in German silver trays as a repast for the celestial visitors. This chasni (prasad) is then distributed amongst the family.
The last five days of the calendar year are known as the Gathas. The Avesta word ‘Ga’ means to sing, in this case the hymns or poetic compositions composed by Zarathustra himself around 1200 BCE. Going to the agiari and hearing these hymns being recited by the priests strengthen the bonds of religion, even if the words are beyond comprehension. The power of these hymns lies as much in the vibrations, as in the words themselves.
The very last day of the year is known as Pateti. Many people, Parsis and non-Parsis alike, refer to this as the New Year, which is completely wrong. The word ‘patet’ means to repent. So the last day of the year is spent in introspection and awareness of one’s mistakes and misdeeds, to atone for them in all sincerity and vow to be a better Parsi, in the coming year.
After 10 days of prayer and penitence, dawns Navroz, the New Year, replete with fun, food and friends! Nagpur, a city in the geographic centre of India, can lay claim to fame in many things and one of them undoubtedly the celebration of Navroz with the warmth of a welcome in every Parsi household here.
The Festival
As a very young girl I remember I could not sleep the night before Navroz in excited anticipation of the day to follow. At 5.00am the sound of shrill bands just outside the front door would wake us up. No chance of over sleeping. Not that I would on Navroz morning! Each ‘band’ consisted of 2 band-wallas. One beating mercilessly on a battered drum and the other blowing a somewhat shrill tune on his penpuri (flute). To my little ears it sounded as beautiful as the New York Philharmonic conducted by apro Zubin Mehta. Only when the elders hurried out to hand over some baksheesh, would they shower us with blessings and leave!
Courtyards were swept and watered and torans hung up on the doors to welcome visitors with the beauty and sweet fragrance of flowers. Then began the ritual of making elaborate designs with chalk na dabba on the doorsteps and entrance of the house, very much like the rangoli designs made by other communities.
New clothes for Navroz are a must. Hung up the previous evening, they were fondly caressed and admired before running in for a bath and dressing to go to the agiari. Every helper in the home – the cook, the maid, the driver and the sweeper – was also gifted a new set of clothes.
For children Navroz is a fairy tale day come to life. It is a medley of beautiful clothes, good wishes, good food and good friends all getting together on a single day. Could one ask for more?
When I got married and had my own Navroz table to set and home to get ready for the big day, I realised the work that went with the pleasure of the occasion. In the days before Navroz, cleaning takes on a frenzy all of its own. Cobwebs are removed, curtains are changed, brass and silver polished and the best cutlery and crockery brought out. Of course these are all the peripherals. The pivot on which your prowess is judged is the spread on your table. Almost every Parsi home has open house, a very Nagpur tradition.
The day begins with a visit to the agiari, where Parsis pray and make offerings of sandalwood to the eternal flame that burns within the sanctum sanctorum. The piety of the place and the sonorous sound of the chanting of the Avesta prayers move one to thank Ahura Mazda for all his goodness and guidance. Not forgetting a common phrase used for Parsis – ‘Parsi taru naam Sakhavat’ (Parsi, thy name is charity), worshippers at the agiari, will give generously to the sacred fire and to all supplicants who come their way.
After the visit to the agiari, the rest of the day is devoted to fun and food. Tables in every home groan under the weight of traditional Parsi delicacies like sweet sevai and curds, creamy ravo topped with fried almonds and raisins and other mouth-watering dishes. Many a ‘Parsi peg’ is raised to toast the New Year and the happiness and prosperity of the community. Included in the hospitality and bonhomie are our non-Parsi friends. Peons and postmen, executives and accountants, all come to wish their Parsi friends and add to the spirit of communal harmony and good times that the Parsis are known for.
Is it any wonder then that those who have left Nagpur for greener pastures, still hanker to spend “One more Navroz in Nagpur, for old time’s sake!” This is because of the warmth of the hospitality. It is people reaching out to people, everyone making an effort in terms of time, money and energy expended.
Navroz celebrations start early in the morning and could go on till midnight. At the end of the day when food and fatigue have caught up with them, most grown-ups say “Never again!” But come next August, the same people are excitedly planning what to cook and what to wear for the coming Navroz!
Irani New Year
It is said that when two Parsis meet, there are bound to be two opinions on the same subject. Maybe to prove that, the Irani Parsis, who migrated to India in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, celebrate Navroz or the New Year on 21 March, the day of the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. This day marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated as a secular festival in Iran, Turkey and other countries in the area, but for Zoroastrians it is a holy day.
Just as new buds and plants spring forth from the ground with the advent of spring, this day is symbolic of rejuvenation, re-birth and renewed hope. The cleaning and beautifying of the home is similar to that which takes place for the Navroz celebrated in August. The laying of the table and some other customs vary. Newly sprouted wheat, spring onions, green garlic, mint, watermelon and other spring fruits and vegetables adorn the table along with seven items whose names start with the sound of “sh”. Other items on the table include a photograph of the prophet Zarathustra, gulab jal or rose water in a gulabast (a slim silver receptacle to hold and sprinkle the rose water) and a cucudani, to hold the auspicious red kum-kum to apply on the forehead. An afargan (a silver chalice) with burning sandalwood and a mirror are also kept on the table.
Friends and family come to visit and wish everyone Navroz Mubarak. Each person is led to the beautifully laid table and sprinkled with gulab jal from the gulabast and then shown the mirror into which the person smiles. “May the coming year see the same beautiful smile on your face every day,” says the hostess, by way of a blessing. Only then, will visitors partake of the food and the falooda (cold, rose-flavoured milk). Falooda is a celebratory drink and it is a tradition for Zoroastrians to partake of this on 21 March. Just before serving, small quantities of boiled vermicelli (sevai), soaked black tukhmaria seeds (sweet basil) and a big dollop of vanilla ice cream are added to each glass.
One has to be a part of the Navroz celebrations to really get a feel of the warmth and the welcome of this festival. So if you do not already have any Parsi friends you can visit, be sure to make some soon! Time is running out. They have already reached a number where they are known as a micro-minority. And when you wish them “Navroz Mubarak” be sure to add “may their tribe increase!”
Navroz
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