In Parsi New Year, the four Fs i.e. fire, fragrance, food and friendship play an important role in the celebration.
Parsis the world over are celebrating their New Year today. Parsi New Year or Pateti, as it is traditionally known, began 3,000 years back by the mighty emperor Jamshed, who introduced the new calendar in Persia. Hence, Pateti is also known as Jamshedi Navroz or Navroz.
The festival is celebrated by people in Middle-East, USA and South Asian countries such as India and Pakistan. According to the Gregorian calendar, Pateti falls in the month of August. The auspicious day falls on the spring equinox – the day when both North and South pole have sunlight making day and night of equal duration.
In Parsi New Year, the four Fs i.e. fire, fragrance, food and friendship play an important role in the celebration.
Besides celebration, Pateti is also the day of repentance. "Pateti is not a celebration which people think it is. It is actually a period during which people are supposed to seek forgiveness for the mistakes they have done knowingly or unknowingly," said Dr Ramiyar Karanjia, principal of Dadar Athornan Insititute, one of the oldest and biggest existing Parsi seminaries in India while speaking to DNA.
"Just like Christians, we have lent period of ten days. It ends on Thursday. On this day, we repent on whatever wrongs we might have done," added Dick Jasoomoney, resident of Tardeo.
On this day, Parsis wear traditional clothes and visit fire temple also known as ‘Agiary’. There is a tradition of offering milk, flowers, fruits, sandalwood to the sacred fire.
The Parsis celebrate three New Years. The Iranian calendar marks the Jamshedi Navroz on the spring equinox (on March 21). The second is Kadmi New Year which celebrated by Irani Zoroastrians and the third is Shahenshahi New Year which is celebrated on August 17.
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