Navroze Festival

INTRODUCTION

Jamshed-E-Navroz is the first day of the first month of the Zoroastrian year. Parsis follow the Fasli calendar and their New Year commences with the Vernal Equinox. The festival is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The community dutifully follows all the rituals performed during Jamshed-e-Navroze. Parsis offer special prayers on the day savour the fixed menu of the festival and greet each other.

This is the most celebrated festival of the Parsis. Every year on March 21, Navroze is celebrated. Only one sect of Parsis- considers it as Parsi New Year, those are the Faslis - but nevertheless all Parsis join in the festivities, enjoy themselves, greet each other and attend the thanksgiving ceremonies at Fire Temples. 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. Hence the name was kept as "Navroze", which literally means the New Day.

LEGEND

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. The day happened to be a vernal equinox- when the length of the day equals that of the night. Navroz marked the transition from winter to summer. Later, the particular day came to known and 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 mark the Jamshed-e-Navroz.

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.

CELEBRATIONS

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".

Food is also an important component in these celebrations. Parsi food is a blend of West Asian and Indian style of cooking. "Rava", the popular dish is cooked with Sooji, milk and sugar. When the mixture thickens, it is flavoured with rose water and sprinkled with grated nutmegs. The other popular dish is fried vermicelli, cooked in sugar syrup and sprinkled with almonds and raisins.

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.

Then the folks go to the fire temples for worship where they offer sandalwood sticks to the fire. It is customary for the Parsis to cover their heads once they are inside the temples. The children wear small round caps of gold and silver brocade, while men wear small black velvet caps. The women drape their heads with part of their sarees. After the prayers they greet and hug one another saying "Sal Mubarak" - meaning may the coming year be prosperous.

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 must be served for lunch that day.

RITUALS

Growing of wheat in small earthenware bowls was 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.

There are special dishes for breakfast too - one is 'Ravo' prepared with suji, milk and sugar and the other is fried vermicelli cooked in sugar preparation and decorated with dry fruits.

After breakfast, 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.