Happy Navroze! Navi Mumbai Parsis celebrate Parsi New Year
There are seventy registered Parsi families in Navi Mumbai. But Navi Mumbai doesn’t have a Agyari and we travel to Andheri to visit our fire temple,” says Rashna Doctor, a Parsi resident of Nerul. Today is Parsi New Year or Navroze an important day for celebration for the Parsis. So what are the Navi Mumbaikars doing? Pervin Umrigar, a Vashi resident says, “ We do nothing but visit our Agyari in Dadar and have lavish lunch and dinner. Might also go to watch some movie.”
Rashna Doctor says, “We have gathas ten days before the New Year and we all visit our Agyari on these ten days.”
Aspi Dadachanji says, “ Parsis are people who believe in all religion and enjoying life. We go to the Agyari and then have a lavish lunch. We visit the Dadar or Thane Agyari.”
Parsi New Year
Navroj is the first day of the first month of the Zoroastrian year. "Struggle for good against Evil With Humata (good thoughts), Hukta (good words) and Havarshta (good deeds)." Thus spoke Zoroaster, the great prophet of Iran to his followers who in India are known by the name of Parsis.
"There is but one path, the path of ASHA. All other paths are false paths" YASNA
This quotation from Yank sums up the teachings of Prophet Zoroaster. Asha is a path of action - good thoughts, good words and good deeds - with emphasis on service to the suffering humanity.
Zoroastrian is monotheistic in its higher ideology having Ahura Mazda as its Supreme Deity and AHRIMAN as a lesser power of evil, which continually retards the smooth progress of good-universe, is conceived as a battlefield between Ahura Mazda and Ahriman. In this confrontation, Ahura Mazda will ultimately defeat Ahriman.
In the Zoroastrian religion, Fire is looked upon, as a visible symbol of godhead and it is believed that the prophet himself brought the Sacred Fire to earth from heaven. In Zoroastrian temples that are known as Fire temples, fire is kept burning all the time. Priests called Jozdalhregavs tend these temples.
Over 3000 years ago Shah Jamshed of the Peshadian dynasty ascended the throne on "NAVROZE" - nav meaning new and roze meaning day. It was the day of the Equinox - a day when light and darkness stand equal on the scale of space and time when the length of the day equals that of the night. That particular day came to be known as Jamshed Navroz and is celebrated even in modern times with lot of feasting.
Navroz means spring when Mother Nature casts off everything that is old or super-flows and dresses herself like a young bride in every vibrant colour and hue, rejoicing in her own pure spiritual beauty. Thus Navroz is a new dawn in everyone's life.
Parsis believe that there are six seasons in a year with an important festival in each of them. These festivals are known by the name of GAHAMBARS. These were originally agricultural festivals but as Zoroastrianism developed, they assumed religious significance. In each of these festivals Parsis do a lot of charity to the needy. To extend a helping hand to the poor is special characteristic of the Parsis.
Men, women and even children wake up early, bath and dress up in new clothes. They decorate the threshold and steps of their houses with coloured powders, light incense sticks and sprinkle sandalwood powder on live coals, kept in a censor. All this not only is auspicious but also is meant to purify the air.
Food plays a very important role as a significant part of all Parsi festivals. Parsi food is a delicious blend of West Indian and Indian cuisine. Parsis being non-vegetarian, fish, mutton, chicken, nuts, spices and fruits are bought a day before and a variety of dishes are prepared for the following day of Navroz.
For breakfast on the day of Navroz two special dishes are served. One is the "Ravo" made with Suji, milk and sugar and the other is fried vermicelli cooked in sugar syrup and sprinkled with raisins and lot of almond slivers. After breakfast the entire family member go to the nearest Fire Temple or Agiary as it is called. In the temple a "JASHAN" - the priest performs a thanks-giving prayer and each one of the assembled gatherings offers sandalwood to the Holy Fire. After the "Jashan" ceremony all people greet each other by saying "Sal Mubarak".
Lunch consists of Pulav, rich with nuts and saffron, fish in green masala and spicy chicken curries. Besides all the delicacies, cooking plain rice and moong dal is a "must" on this Navroz day. The children of the family hand over food packets and clothes to the poor Parsi families. Parsi children are thus taught to give and share with others.
Throughout the day on this festival, there is much visiting of friends and relatives. Every visitor is offered some sweet and a glass of "faluda" - sweet and chilled vermicelli and flavoured with rose essence. In all Parsi homes a silver tray is kept ready with roses, coconuts and kumkum for `tilak'. Rose water is freely sprayed on every visitor as he enters.
The ritual in this festival that is of paramount importance is the free mixing of men and women, which certainly is a sign of equality.
Anisha Ashokan