Parwanaya ( myz, ࡐࡀࡓࡅࡀࡍࡀࡉࡉࡀ; ar, البرونايا) or Panja (from
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
'five') is a 5-day religious festival in the
Mandaean calendar
The Mandaean calendar is a 365-day solar calendar used by the Mandaean people.Drower, Ethel Stefana. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937. It consists of twelve 30-day months, with five extra days at the end of ...
. The 5
epagomenals (extra days) inserted at the end of every
Šumbulta (the 8th month) constitute the Parwanaya intercalary feast.
The festival celebrates the five days that ''
Hayyi Rabbi
In Mandaeism, Hayyi Rabbi ( myz, ࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡓࡁࡉࡀ, translit=Hiia Rbia, lit=The Great Life), 'The Great Living God', is the supreme God from which all things emanate. He is also known as 'The First Life', since during the creation of th ...
'' created the angels and the universe.
Origins
The
epagomenals in the
Egyptian calendar were also considered to be sacred days in Ancient Egypt, as they were considered to be the birthdays of different gods. Today in the
Coptic calendar, these five days are designated by the
Coptic Orthodox Church as
feast days for different saints.
[.]
Rituals
The ''
masbuta
Maṣbuta ( myz, ࡌࡀࡑࡁࡅࡕࡀ) is the ritual of immersion in water in the Mandaean religion.
Overview
Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and practice frequent baptism (''masbuta'') as a ritual of purification, not of initiation. They ar ...
'' (baptism), ''
Ṭabahata Masiqta
The ''Scroll of the Ancestors'' ( myz, ࡔࡀࡓࡇ ࡖࡈࡀࡁࡀࡄࡀࡕࡀ ) is a Mandaean religious text that describes the rituals of the Ṭabahata (ancestors') masiqta, held during the 5-day Parwanaya festival.
Manuscripts
Copies of t ...
'' (ascension of the soul ceremony for ancestors), and ''hawad mania'' rituals are held during the Parwanaya.
Collection: Parwanaya (Banja) Festival: Unedited Clips
The Worlds of Mandaean Priests
University of Exeter
, mottoeng = "We Follow the Light"
, established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter)
, type = Public
, ...
Texts
Mandaean texts
This article contains a list of Mandaean texts (Mandaean religious texts written in Classical Mandaic). Well-known texts include the ''Ginza Rabba'' (also known as the ''Sidra Rabbā'') and the '' Qolastā''. Texts for Mandaean priests includ ...
containing instructions for rituals performed during the Parwanaya include the ''Šarḥ ḏ-Parwanaia'' ("The Scroll of the Parwanaya
The ''Scroll of the Parwanaya'' ( myz, ࡔࡀࡓࡇ ࡖࡐࡀࡓࡅࡀࡍࡀࡉࡉࡀ ) is a Mandaean religious text that describes the rituals of the five-day Parwanaya festival. Excluding the colophon, the text consists of 931 lines.
Manu ...
") and ''Šarḥ ḏ-Ṭabahata'' ("Scroll of the Ancestors
The ''Scroll of the Ancestors'' ( myz, ࡔࡀࡓࡇ ࡖࡈࡀࡁࡀࡄࡀࡕࡀ ) is a Mandaean religious text that describes the rituals of the Ṭabahata (ancestors') masiqta, held during the 5-day Parwanaya festival.
Manuscripts
Copies of th ...
").
Gallery
Gallery of Mandaeans celebrating Parwanaya on the banks of the Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
River in Amarah
Amarah ( ar, ٱلْعَمَارَة, al-ʿAmārah), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the ...
, Maysan Governorate, Iraq on 17 March 2019:
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 01.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 02.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 03.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 04.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 05.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 06.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 07.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 08.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 09.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 10.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 11.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 12.jpg
File:Mandaeans celebrating the Creation Day (Brunaya), Maysan, Iraq - Mar 17, 2019 13.jpg
See also
*Mandaean calendar
The Mandaean calendar is a 365-day solar calendar used by the Mandaean people.Drower, Ethel Stefana. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1937. It consists of twelve 30-day months, with five extra days at the end of ...
*Intercalary month (Egypt)
The intercalary month or epagomenal days. of the ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and Ethiopian calendars are a period of five days in common years and six days in leap years in addition to those calendars' 12 standard months, sometimes reckoned as t ...
* Dehwa Rabba
References
External links
Slideshow: The Iranian Mandaeans at Parwanaya (Panja) time
(in Ahvaz, Iran)
{{Mandaeism footer
Religious festivals in Iran
Festivals in Iraq
Mandaic words and phrases
Mandaean holidays