Parsi New Year, Jamshedi Navroze, fell (last year) on 21st March 2005
I was reading ‘His Highest Wish’and ‘Ring in spring’ by Cyrus H Merchant.
Emailing you some excerpts:
21st March is the New Year for the entire Universe, a date so spiritual it is beyond understanding, suffice for me to say that the soul of the universe is reborn on this day and therefore everything is made new, you and your life included.
But this date can be a success in your life if the day March 20th Sunday God approves of all that you are , all that your life is…
…For this Sunday March 20th , go beyond your most heartfelt sorry and tell God you want nothing except what He wants…
Once you have a God anointed life…God is “duty bound” to make everything alright…Imagine living in this podgy God blanket, imagine every Sunday from March 20th and for every day for the rest of your life, you have such fulfillment.
You can have it.
This Parsi Principle of Vahishtoishti (God’s Highest Wish) taught by our prophet Zarthost Saheb…
…God has blessed you, now you bring forth that blessing. God’s power tuned by His people’s love and prayers (and your tears, god your tears!) will be unleashed on friday (the most powerful day of the Holy Spirit Spena Mino which will accomplish everything for you), a slash before spring to break all bondage and throw you high up in the air, come on now, now is the perfect time to be happy…May spring have entered your soul while you were reading this…
The following information I obtained from a note written by Bachi Karkaria:
There is a difference between a Parsi and an Irani.
…The Parsis left their homeland when it was still Persia, and have had 1,000 years to settle down and prosper in the great Indian cultural heritage; the Iranians began trickling in just 300 years ago…Both are Zoroastrians…
…In Iran, the arrival of warmth after the deathly winter was cause for celebration…As with Holi…Iranians jump over a fire symbolizing the burning up of past evil…The Now-ruz celebration originated with the wise Persian king named Jamshyd who ruled for 700 years. It is believed that his wine goblet never ran dry and his crown radiated a supernatural lustre.
The Nowruz is celebrated with ‘haft seen’ on the table.
‘Haft’ means ‘seven’ (mystic number) It gets its clout from the seven Amesha Spentas or archangels of Zoroastrian mythology.
‘Seen’ is the persian letter ‘S’
‘Haft Seen’ would literally mean ‘Seven S’
The ‘Seen’ represent the symbolic offerings that start with the letter ‘S’
They are: Sekeh (coin), samanu (sweet wheat pudding), sabzi (sprouted green shoots of vegetables and herbs), sonbol (hyacinth), senjed (a tiny dried fruit), sib (apple) and serkeh (vinegar).
Some more information:
Jamshed-e-Navroze is named after Jamshed, a legendary king of Persia who started the calender.
The objects that are laid out on the table symbolize good health, sweetness, prosperity, long life, a copy of the sacred book, a picture of Zarathustra, mirror, candles, incense burner, bowl of goldfish, flowers, fruits, herbs, sugar, bread, coins…
For the ancient Iranians, Navroz was a celebration of life, when life with all its glory was celebrated and cherished.
For modern Iranians/Parsis, Navroz is a feast of renewal, a time to visit relatives, friends and pay respect to the older members of family. A thorough house cleaning is done, New Year festivities go on until the 13th day, known as “Sizdah be dar”, which literally means getting rid of the omen of the 13th day.
The 13th day is spent mostly outdoors. People leave their homes and spend the day outdoors. It is imperative to spend “Sizdah be dar” with nature.
Shakun Kimatrai 