Navroz
Navroz is the first day of the first month of the Zoroastrian year.
March 21 is the first day of the spring and also the vernal equinox of the sun, and therefore a logical day to celebrate the beginning of yet another year. Quite logical, one would think.
The festival was celebrated as far back as the 6th century B.C. when legendary kings like Cyrus and Darius ruled over the Persian Empire.
Celebration of the festival dates back to over 3000 years when the legendary king of Persia, Jamshedji ascended the throne on the day of ‘Navroz’. ‘Nav’ means new and ‘Roz’ means day. celebrated as ‘Jamshed Navroz Festival’.
It is also said, King Jamshedi introduced solar calculation into the Persian calendar and also determined the date when the Sun enters the constellation of Aries, in the beginning of the year. The advent of spring in February-March and the vernal equinox – these are the two events that and hence, this is celebrated as ‘Jamshed Navroz Festival’.
On this occasion, it was customary for the king to be weighed in gold and silver, and the money was then distributed to the poor.
Today, the celebration commences with cleaning the house, seeping out cobwebs, painting the whole house. New clothes would be ordered for the entire family. Garlands of roses and jasmine decorate all doors and windows. Steps and thresholds are marked with beautiful patterns in colour powders like “Rangoli”.
Parsis celebrate Navroz in a grand and elaborate fashion. They rejoice whole-heartedly and celebrate the day in a spirit of friendship, harmony and happiness.
They wear new clothes on the day and welcome the guests with a sprinkling of rosewater and rice and also applying tilak. Visitors to any house are offered sweets and a glass of “Faluda” – a sweet milky drink cooked with a special type of vermicelli flavoured with rose essence and served chilled. Pulaos rich with saffron, fish steamed in banana leaves, chicken curries with ground almonds and plain rice and moong dal is always served for lunch that day.
Growing of wheat in small earthenware bowls is also an age-old custom of the Parsis. On the 13th day after the Navroze, they tossed these tiny sprouts of plants into the nearby water-head, as a mark of reverence for the water and greenery. It is practiced by devout Parses till this day.
People visit Fire Temple or Agiary for a special thanks-giving prayer called, ‘Jashan’. People also offer sandalwood to the Holy Fire.
Besides, there is a custom to keep a copy of the Gathas, a lit lamp, an Afrigan, a bowl of water containing live fish, a shallow earthenware plate with sprouted wheat or beans for prosperity, flowers for colour, a silver coin for wealth, painted eggs for productivity, and sweets and rosewater in bowls for sweetness and happiness on a table. Apart from these, the table also has seven foods beginning with ‘sh’ and ‘sa’. These are meant to symbolise creation.
With this understanding, let us all revere life, greenery and the beginning of a new year