India Parsi New Year

Parsi New Year

When:
March 21, 2023 all-day
2023-03-21T00:00:00+05:30
2023-03-22T00:00:00+05:30

Parsis follow the religion of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest known monotheistic religions. It was founded by the Prophet Zarathustra in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago.  It was one of the ancient world’s most important religions for over 1000 years and was the official religion of Persia (now Iran) from 650 BCE until the rise of Islam in the 7th century. When the Islamic armies invaded Persia, many Zoroastrians migrated, to places such as Gujarat in India and Pakistan. Nowadays there are an estimated 2.6 million Zoroastrians worldwide, with the Parsis (‘Parsi’ being Gujarati for Persian) in India being the largest single group.

Parsi New Year, also known as ‘Jamshedi Navroz’ after the legendary King of Persia, Jamshed who started the Parsi Calendar, is celebrated Worldwide on the first day of the Zoroastrian calendar’s first month. Navroze, this day marks the first day of the spring equinox and is therefore celebrated between March 19th and March 22nd. In India, on the other hand, the Shahanshahi calendar is followed, which means the New Year celebration happens in the later months of the year. Delicious lunch and sweets are an integral part of Nowruz celebrations. Parsi New Year is a regional holiday in states of Maharashtra and Gujarat in the country. Delicacies for the special day include moong dal, dhansak, farcha, prawns, pulav, and sali boti. Zoroastrianism celebrates numerous festivals and holy days around the year following the Zoroastrian calendar. Parsi New Year or Pateti is celebrated on August 17 by the Parsi community. Iranians celebrate the Persian New Year on the spring equinox based on their calendar while Indians and Pakistanis celebrate the day based on Shahenshahi calendar.

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