Mumbai: City Parsis gear up for Pateti and New Year

City Parsis are gearing up to observe Pateti and celebrate New Year. Pateti, which is the last day of the old year will be observed on Thursday while New Year will be observed on Friday.

"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," said Dick Jasoomoney, resident of Tardeo.

"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 seminary in India.

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.