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Zoroastrian Festivals
Zoroastrianism has numerous festivals and holy days, all of which are bound to the Zoroastrian calendar. The ''Shahenshahi'' and ''Kadmi'' variants of the calendar do not intercalate leap years and hence the day of the Gregorian calendar year on which these days are celebrated shifts ahead with time. The third variant of the Zoroastrian calendar, known as either ''Fasli'' (in India) or ''Bastani'' (in Iran), intercalates according to Gregorian calendar rules and thus remains synchronous with the seasons. For details on the differences, see Zoroastrian calendar. Seasonal festivals Six irregularly-spaced seasonal festivals, called '' gahanbars'' (meaning "proper season"), are celebrated during the religious year. The six festivals are additionally associated with the six "primordial creations" of Ahura Mazda, otherwise known as the Amesha Spentas, and through them with aspects of creation (the sky, the waters, the earth, plant life, animal life, humankind). Due to the peculiarities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the world's oldest organized faiths, its adherents exalt an Creator deity, uncreated, Omnibenevolence, benevolent, and List of knowledge deities#Persian mythology, all-wise deity known as Ahura Mazda (), who is hailed as the supreme being of the universe. Opposed to Ahura Mazda is Ahriman, Angra Mainyu (), who is personified as a List of death deities#Persian-Zoroastrian, destructive spirit and the adversary of all things that are good. As such, the Zoroastrian religion combines a Dualism in cosmology, dualistic cosmology of good and evil with an eschatological outlook predicting the Frashokereti, ultimate triumph of Ahura Mazda over evil. Opinions vary among scholars as to whether Zoroastrianism is monotheistic, polyth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aban
Apas (, ) is the Avestan language term for "the waters", which, in its innumerable aggregate states, is represented by the Apas, the hypostases of the waters. ''Āb'' (plural ''Ābān'') is the Middle Persian-language form. Introduction "To this day reverence for water is deeply ingrained in Zoroastrians, and in orthodox communities offerings are regularly made to the household well or nearby stream." The '' ape zaothra'' ceremony—the culminating rite of the ''Yasna'' service (which is in turn the principal act of worship)—is literally for the "strengthening of the waters." Avestan ''apas'' (from singular ''āpō'') is grammatically feminine, and the Apas are female. The Middle Persian equivalents are ''ābān''/Ābān (alt: ''āvān''/Āvān), from which Parsi Gujarati ''āvā''/Āvā (in religious usage only) derive. The Avestan common noun ''āpas'' corresponds exactly to Vedic Sanskrit '' '', and both derive from the same proto-Indo-Iranian word, stem ''*ap- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zartosht No-Diso
Zartosht no-diso, or Zarthost no deeso, is an important day of remembrance in the Zoroastrian religion. It is a commemoration of the death anniversary of the prophet Zoroaster. It is observed on the 11th day (Khorshed) of the 10th month ( Dae). In the seasonal calendar, Zarthost No-Diso falls on December 26. It is an occasion of remembrance with lectures and discussions held on the life and works of the prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings .... Attendance at the fire temple is very high during this occasion. A much higher number of mobeds are brought to pray at the Atash Behrams and Agyari, Atash Adarans. There is no mourning in the Zoroastrian religion, only remembrance and worship of the Farohars of the departed. However, Zoroaster's death is not mentioned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sadeh
Sadeh ( also transliterated as ''Sade''), is an Iranian festival that dates back to the Achaemenid Empire. ''Sadeh'' is celebrated 50 days before Nowruz. Sadeh in Persian means "hundred" and refers to the one hundred days and nights remaining to the beginning of spring. Sadeh is a mid-winter festival that was celebrated with grandeur and magnificence in ancient Persia. It was a festivity to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold. History Legends have it that King Hushang, the 2nd king of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty (Pishdad means to give the Law), established the Sadeh tradition. It is said that Hushang was once climbing a mountain when he saw a snake. When he threw a stone to hit the snake, it hit another stone and since they were both flint stones, fire broke out and the snake escaped. This way he discovered how to light a fire. Hushang cheered up and praised God who revealed to him the secret of lighting a fire. Then he announced: "This is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pateti
Zoroastrianism has numerous festivals and holy days, all of which are bound to the Zoroastrian calendar. The ''Shahenshahi'' and ''Kadmi'' variants of the calendar do not intercalate leap years and hence the day of the Gregorian calendar year on which these days are celebrated shifts ahead with time. The third variant of the Zoroastrian calendar, known as either ''Fasli'' (in India) or ''Bastani'' (in Iran), intercalates according to Gregorian calendar rules and thus remains synchronous with the seasons. For details on the differences, see Zoroastrian calendar. Seasonal festivals Six irregularly-spaced seasonal festivals, called '' gahanbars'' (meaning "proper season"), are celebrated during the religious year. The six festivals are additionally associated with the six "primordial creations" of Ahura Mazda, otherwise known as the Amesha Spentas, and through them with aspects of creation (the sky, the waters, the earth, plant life, animal life, humankind). Due to the peculiarities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Equinox
A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, around 20 March and 23 September. An equinox is equivalently defined as the time when the plane of Earth's equator passes through the geometric center of the Sun's disk. This is also the moment when Earth's rotation axis is directly perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line, tilting neither toward nor away from the Sun. In modern times, since the Moon (and to a lesser extent the planets) causes Earth's orbit to vary slightly from a perfect ellipse, the equinox is officially defined by the Sun's more regular ecliptic longitude rather than by its declination. The instants of the equinoxes are currently defined to be when the apparent geocentric longitude of the Sun is 0° and 180°. The word is derived from the Latin ', from ' (equal) and ' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nouruz
Nowruz (, , () , () , () , () , Kurdish: () , () , () , () , , , , () , , ) is the Iranian or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ethnicities worldwide. It is a festival based on the Northern Hemisphere spring equinox, which marks the first day of a new year on the Iranian calendars and the currently used Solar Hijri calendar; it usually coincides with a date between 19 March and 22 March on the Gregorian calendar. The roots of Nowruz lie in Zoroastrianism, and it has been celebrated by many peoples across West Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia for over 3,000 years. In the modern era, while it is observed as a secular holiday by most celebrants, Nowruz remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís, and Ismaʿili Shia Muslims. For the Northern Hemisphere, Nowruz marks the beginning of spring. Customs for the festival include ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mehregan
Mehregan () or Jashn-e Mehr ( ''Mithra Festival'') is a Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrian and Iranian peoples, Iranian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra (), which is responsible for friendship, affection and love. Name "Mehregan" is derived from the Middle Persian name ''Mihrakān/Mihragān'', itself derived from Old Persian ''Mithrakāna''. Introduction Mehregan is an Iranian festival honoring the Zoroastrian yazata Mithra. Under the Achaemenid Empire (330–550 BC), the Armenians, Armenian subjects of the Persian king gave him 20,000 horses every year during the celebration of Mehregan. Under the Sasanian Empire (224–651), Mehregan was the second most important festival, falling behind Nowruz. Due to these two festivals being heavily connected with the role of Iranian kingship, the Sasanian rulers were usually crowned on either Mehregan or Nowruz. In al-Biruni's eleventh-century ''Book of Instructions in the Elements of the Art of Astrology'' (233), the astronome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mithra
Mithra ( ; ) is an ancient Iranian deity ('' yazata'') of covenants, light, oaths, justice, the Sun, contracts, and friendship. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth (''Asha''), and the guardian of cattle, the harvest, and the Waters. The Romans attributed their Mithraic mysteries to Zoroastrian Persian sources relating to Mithra. Since the early 1970s, the dominant scholarship has noted dissimilarities between the Persian and Roman traditions, making it, at most, the result of Roman ''perceptions'' of Zoroastrian ideas. Etymology Together with the Vedic common noun ''mitra'', the Avestan common noun ''miθra'' derives from Proto-Indo-Iranian '' *mitrám'' (Mitra), from the root ''*mi-'' "to bind", with the "tool suffix" ''-tra-'' "causing to". Thus, etymologically ''mitra''/''miθra'' means "that which causes binding", preserved in the Avestan word for "Covenant, Contract, Oath". In Middle Ir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aredvi Sura Anahita
Anahita is the Old Persian form of the name of an Iranian goddess and appears in complete and earlier form as ('), the Avestan name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure venerated as the divinity of "the Waters" ( Aban) and hence associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. There is also a temple named Anahita in Iran. Aredvi Sura Anahita is ''Ardwisur Anahid'' (اردویسور آناهید) in Middle and Modern Persian, and ''Anahit'' in Armenian. An iconic shrine sects of Aredvi Sura Anahita was, together with other shrine sects, "introduced apparently in the 4th century BCE and lasted until it was suppressed in the wake of an iconoclastic movement under the Sasanids.". The symbol of goddess Anahita is the Lotus flower. Lotus Festival (Persian: Jashn-e Nilupar) is an Iranian festival that is held on the end of the first week of July. Holding this festival at this time was probably based on the blooming of lotus flowers at the beginning of summer. The Greek and Roman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiregan
Tirgan (, ''Tirgān''), is an early summer ancient Iranian festival, celebrated annually on Tir 13 (July 2, 3, or 4). It is celebrated by splashing water, dancing, reciting poetry, and serving traditional foods such as spinach soup and sholezard. The custom of tying rainbow-colored bands on wrists, which are worn for ten days and then thrown into a stream, is also a way to rejoice for children. Overview Tirgan is an ancient Iranian tradition which is still celebrated in various regions of Iran, including Mazenderan, Khorasan, and Arak. It is widely attested by historians such as Gardezi, Biruni, and Masudi, as well as European travelers during the Safavid era. The celebration is dedicated to Tishtrya, a Yazata who appeared in the sky to generate thunder and lightning for much needed rain. Legend says that Arash the Archer was a man chosen to settle a land dispute between the leaders of the lands Iran and Turan. Arash was to loose his arrow, on the 13th day of Tir, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tishtrya
Tishtrya (; ) is the Avestan name of a Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility. Tishtrya is Tir in Middle- and Modern Persian. As has been judged from the archaic context in which Tishtrya appears in the texts of the Avesta, this divinity is almost certainly of Indo-Iranian origin. Tir is associated with the star Sirius, called Tishtar, in Modern Persian. History In the Tishtar Yasht, incorporated by Ferdowsi in the ''Shahnameh'', Tishtrya is involved in a cosmic struggle against the drought-bringing demon Apaosha. According to the myth, in the form of a pure white horse the god did battle with the demon who, in contrast, had assumed the form of a terrifying black horse. Apaosa soon gained the upper hand over Tishtrya, who was weakened from the lack of sufficient prayers and sacrifices from humankind. The yazata proceeded to call upon the creator, Ahura Mazda, who himself then intervened by offering a sacrifice to the overwhelmed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
