75 - PARSEE NEW YEAR

Parsees are a very confusing lot.  Actually, the parsee and irani community are zorastrians.  But most people recognise the word 'parsee' only.  As a teacher and a zorastrian, I have always tried to educate my students about the name of the religion, that is 'zorastrianism'.   Zorastrians belong to three sects, according to my limited knowledge, faslis, kadmis and shehenshahees.

The faslis celebrate their Nowruz or 'new year', on March 21st, which all other zorastrians also celebrate, but as a 'new day' or a spring festival.  The calendar year of the shehenshahee zorastrians, or 'parsees' is celebrated in August, and the kadmi zorastrians or 'iranees',  celebrate their calendar new year or 'nowroze' a month earlier, sometime in July.

The last ten days of the old year are called muktad and are dedicated to praying and remembering the dead, by visiting a fire temple and lighting an oil lamp or divo, and dedicating a flowers in a vase, in memory of the dear departed.    The last day is called 'papeti' or 'pateti ', and is a day of repentance for all past bad deeds.  Nowroze is the new calendar year, and six days after this day, Khordad Saal is celebrated, which is supposed to be the birthday of the prophet Zarathustra.  So there are two khordad saals, one celebrated by the kadmi sect and the other by the shehenshahees.

It is during the March Nowroz, that a 'table' is arranged and seven objects that begin with the letter s are displayed for ten days to celebrate the equinox, seb (apple), sabze (sprouted wheat), sirke (vinegar), sir (garlic), surmai (kajaal), sharab (wine), shama (candle), sikkeh (coins), any seven  or even more is okay.  A mirror, painted eggs, goldfish, and the holy avesta are also displayed on a specially decorated table, to welcome spring, new life and guests, who are welcomed with a sprinkling of rose water and dry fruit or meweh.  I recall, my favourite as a child was that we always enjoyed falooda and sweet sev, during these celebrations.  My grandmother also made 'seerogh', a type of hand fried flat bread, flavoured with kishmish,, cumin seeds and coriander seeds,  which we enjoyed with mint chutney.

Zorastrians decorate the entrances of their homes with fresh flower torans and chalk designs on the floor.  Food is a major ingredient of the festivities, and pulao dal, patra-no-machchi, farcha, rotli, custard, ravo, are quite popular on the menu, but nowadays with the numerous world cuisines easily available, any type of  'bharnoo bhonoo' will do, so long as the ladies of the house can enjoy a day out.  A few visit a fire temple.  Most parsees, celebrate by having a day out to watch any parsee play or 'natak'.  And everyone wears new outfits and shows off.  Outside agiaries, poor persons beg for pateti baksheesh. And  parsees greet their relatives and friends in Canada, New Zealand, UK and Australia. 

What makes me frustrated is that, when school students represent the festivals of India, in various handcraft articles, like diyas for divali, wreaths and Xmas trees for christmas, dandiyas for navratri, a half moon and stars for eid, rakhees for raksha bhandhan, etc., but there is nothing to make to represent the parsee navroz festival.

My close acquaintance with colleagues who are christians, hindus, muslims, bohris, has made me aware of how close knit each community is, besides the parsees.  Only the parsees who live in a 'colony' become friends, otherwise there are very few occasions on which they can interact, unlike christians who have sunday school, and so many activities revolving around each parish, the bohris and muslims too have regular get togethers and celebrations, but parsees ......................

49 - WHY FAST?

Nineteenth  of October, or nine days before divali is being celebrated as 'Karva Chauth', a festival that is celebrated by 'suhagans' .  This term, as all Indians know, refers to women whose husbands are alive.  Legend has it that a queen named Savitri, started this custom.

Savitri's husband died and the God of Death, Yumdoot came to collect his soul, she pleaded with him to let her husband remain alive.  Since Savitri had been a devout wife, Yumdoot granted her any wish except her husband's life.  So, Savitri said that she wanted 100 children.  And then her wish was granted and her husband got a new lease of life.  So all devout wives observe this auspicious day as Kavra Chauth and pray for their husband's long life.

So a festival for married women who are not widows.  But what about widows?  Are they dead too that they should not celebrate any thing at all, since they have no husband to pray for?  It is as if religion was made only for married women and all men only.

But every religion has some sort of custom of fasting.  Christians fast during Lent.  Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and it starts 46 days before Easter Sunday.  The month is in mourning for the death of Christ on Good Friday, and then his resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday.  So during the 46 days, Christians may give up something that they enjoy, as a sign of penance, meat or cigarettes or alcohol etc.  Zorastrians give up meat during a few days every month and during the ten days before navroze, when prayers are specially dedicated to the dead. These ten days are known as gathas.  Jains fast during Chaumasa in August and September, known as Santhana.  But that is mainly for older people.  Younger Jains and even children fast for a week eating only fruits, and boiled water, known as Paryushan.  Muslims and bohris fast during moharram for a whole month, but eat and drink before sunrise.  Hindus fast all the time, by mainly giving up whatever is white, like milk, flour products, salt, sugar, rice, etc.  Hindus fast on Mondays if they worship Shiva,  Thursdays are for sant Dattatreya, Fridays are for Santoshima, Saturdays are for Lord Hanuman,   and they also fast during Ganesh Chaturthi, Ekadashi, Mahashivratri,Gokulashtmi.  It is a custom  for Hindus to fast and the women walk barefeet during their fasts.  Fasting is a way to bargain with the gods for favours of a happy family life, a long life for the husband, or to fulfill some endeavour of a new business or job.

These details I have gleaned from my colleagues and my students.  Especially my students, who show so much self control to maintain their fast, although their classmates are eating and drinking during break time.  If only their self control would flourish and grow with age, so that they would refrain from any vices as adults.

So fasting is a way that religion has intervened to help humans to gain health and self control.  And to make a wish come true, because dreams help one to survive and thrive.