Zoroastrianism and few of its Rituals

Zoroastrianism is a ritual intensive religion. Rituals are an integral part of the religious life. On the basis of their purposes and functions of the rituals, they can be divided into various groups like Thanksgiving Rituals known as Jashans; Consecration Rituals known as Visperad, Videvdad etc; Rites of Passage known as Navjote, Navar and Maratab (initiations), Marriage and Death among other various rituals.

The word “Navjote” is derived from two words Nav (new) and Zot (offerer of prayers). The Navjote ceremony is performed of all Parsi children both boys and girls, generally between the ages of 7 to 9. The ritual involves 3 stages – purification, presentation and benedictions. The main purpose of this ritual is to ceremoniously invest the child with the Sadra “the sacred shirt” and the Kasti “the sacred girdle”. The Kasti is made of 72 strands of sheep’s wool intricately woven with ritual observances. Wool symbolizes innocence. It is known to be able to absorb evil vibes and thus act as a protective shield. As shown below there are 9 parts of the Sadra.

Zoroastrian marriages are generally solemnized after sunset, as it was one of the promises given to the Hindu King Jadav Rana by the ancestors of Zoroastrians who came from Iran to India about 1200 years ago. Marriages can also be solemnized in fire temples in the morning. The marriage ritual is referred to as “the Ashirwad” since the priests give “ashirvad” (blessings) to the couple. The senior priest starts the initial part of the Ashirvad, during which rice grains or a mixture of rice, coconut shreds, pomegranate seeds and rose petals are showered on the couple. These items are significant as they all carry a meaning: coconut – symbol of utility and helpfulness to each other and society; rice – indicative of prosperity and plenty; pomegranate – symbolizes fertility and abundance of children and rose petals – indicate fragrance of happiness in married life.

The Zoroastrian mode of disposal of the dead is designed to ensure theological correctness, ecological safeguards and spiritual fortification. The Dokhma (Tower of Silence) is a consecrated circular structure built of stone. Dokhmenashini is the only valid Zoroastrian system of disposal of the mortal remains. The system upholds two of the basic tenets of the religion:

Disposing the corpse, as quickly as possible with the least possible harm to the living people as also any creations like earth, water, air and especially fire.

Least harm or discomfort to the soul which is now getting ready to go to its first stage of its journey into the other realms.

A Snapshot of the Parsi Culture

Over the last weekend I visited a small exhibition showcasing the Parsi culture and its various rituals. Yes, I was accompanied by my mother and my masi joined us too. I already knew bits and pieces about the culture that had been handed over to me my mother’s side of the family but after visiting the exhibition at Albless Baug (Charni Road) I became a little more enlightened. Let me share some parts of the Parsi heritage and culture with you.

Prophet Zarathushtra was the first prophet to reveal religion in the world. He was a divinely appointed prophet. Zarathushtra is an Avestan word. Greeks called him Zoroaster which means “Possessing a wise camel” and “A golden star”. During the Kayanian dynasty, the power of evil was increasing. It became so unbearable, that Geush Urvan, the soul of Mother Earth cried out in pain to Ahura Mazda. After discussions with Bahman and Ardibahesht Ameshaspands, Ahura Mazda proclaimed that there was just one soul who could help her – Zarathushtra Spitama. He was sent as a Prophet to the world.

Throughout his childhood there were a number of murder attempts made on him, but he survived them all. He passed away at the age of 77 years and 11 days. Prophet Zarathushtra accepted the teachings of the already existing Mazdayasni belief system, added many of his teachings and gave a very strong religion to the people of Iran.

Fire temples are special consecrated structures housing a consecrated fire. The sacred fire is housed in a small room, which is the sanctum sanctorum. It is kept burning ever since its enthronement. Priests offer prayers and fuel to the fire at least five times during the day at the turn of the five gahs (watches of the day). The consecrated fires in fire temples are specially made. There are three grades of fire: Atash Behram; Atash Adaran and Atash Dadgah. These 3 grades of fires are made by collecting, purifying and consecrating fires from different sources and then amalgamating them into one fire. For the Atash Behram, fires from 16 different sources are used; for the Atash Adaran, fires from 4 different sources are used; for the Atash Dadgah, it is not necessary to collect fire from different sources, nor is it necessary to perform any particular rituals over the fire.

IPL 3 Semi Finals – MI v/s RCB @ DY Patil – a mind-blowing experience!!

As the hour hand inched closer to 6 p.m. yesterday the excitement within me started to mount and take over my senses. I had bought my tickets online and had to get them exchanged for “original” tickets – weird but that’s what my printout said! As we approached the relevant gate we were informed that the counter had closed and we could get it at another counter. After approaching Gate No 7 for the tickets, I realised I was one of the many hundreds who were also inching their way towards the counter. Suddenly there was a roar of voices and the news floated back to us that they had stopped issuing the tickets and we could enter the stadium with the printouts. So, off we trudged to the stadium gates.

As we stood in the line in front of the gates, a Kingfisher helicopter hovered over us and landed in the ground outside the stadium. As everyone craned their necks to catch a glimpse of who was in the cabin, the pilot gets out, opens the cabin door, is handed a camera and he obliges by clicking a couple of snaps of the passengers inside. After the smiles had been captured by the lens, Deepika P got out of the cabin and while all the men on the field drooled, she strode across into a waiting car and made her way to the stadium. Soon after, another Kingfisher helicopter hovered and landed on the field and out stepped the owner of the brand – Mr. Mallya himself, dressed in a red tracksuit.

Being a cautious person, I hadn’t carried my mobile into the stadium as per the various updates issued in the papers but was amazed and surprised to see the number of individuals roaming around with their cell phones plastered to their ears!! As I made my way towards the gates the civilized lines turned into an unruly mob who had the weird thought that if they all pushed together to get to the gate, they could all go through instead of one by one that the turnstile allowed! And I would like to ask the organizers where was all the extra security that they had harped about in each of their interviews with the newspapers?? Where were the 3 tiered security checks? I was just asked if I was carrying a cell phone and when I replied in the negative I was allowed to walk right into the stadium without even a pat down by the female cops!! Wow I loved this kind of security!!! Were we all really safe???

As I stood at the end of the corridor my eyes and ears strained to take in the wonderful sights and sounds in front of me. The cricket ground was brightly lit and the green grass shone as if each blade had been washed and shined for the semis. The atmosphere was electrifying and I felt as the sole electric conductor in the stadium. The music blared out English and Hindi hit songs while occasionally the IPL trumpet blared followed by the cheers / roar of the crowds already present. Watching both the teams warming up in the field added to the already mounting excitement. After settling into our seats I merrily joined in with the chants of “Sachinnnnnnnnnn… Sachin!!” and “Mumbaiiiiiiiiii….. Indians!!!!”


As the match started the chants went on and on, encouraging the Men In Blue while they battled out the game against the Royal Challengers in the middle. My MI flag (which now stands on my office table) flew high in tune to the music and the chants. The air suddenly grew heavy and you could hear the stillness in the air as Sachin was declared out! The silence hung heavily all round me as we all craned our necks to catch the replay on the screens not wanting to believe what had just happened. As he walked back to the pavilion the crowd finally accepted his dismissal and with a somber silence sat back to watch the overs unfold. The air got charged once again as S. Tiwari and Pollard started to unfold their magic onto the Bangalore bowlers.

The excitement in the atmosphere went on till Bangalore started losing wickets to Bhajji and Malinga. The MI team was on fire!! When the final over came up there was a loud roar as the crowds smelt victory round the corner and the last 6 balls were met with equal cheers. As the last ball was played the crowd went berserk and started dancing in the aisles, in their seats, on their seats, jumping up and down all the while chanting “Sachinnnnnnnnnnnnn……. Sachin!!!” followed by “Mumbaiiiiiiiiiiiii….. Indians!!!”


I left the field feeling exhilarated as the intoxication of watching the semis flowed through my entire body!! It was one of the most amazing and awesome experiences that I have had. Am I glad I went!!! :) :)