Zoroastrian traditions
Zoroastrian traditions belong to one of the world's oldest faiths, founded in ancient Iran and kept today by the Parsis of India, the Iranis, and communities in Iran, Britain and North America.
Zoroastrian traditions belong to one of the world's oldest faiths, founded in ancient Iran and kept today by the Parsis of India, the Iranis, and communities in Iran, Britain and North America. They include Nowruz, the Navjote initiation, the Jashan thanksgiving, fire temples, the seasonal Gahambar feasts, and the funeral customs of the Towers of Silence. Fire stands for the light of God, and the faith teaches good thoughts, good words and good deeds. These pages describe the customs with respect for a community that is small but proud.
Fire and the Navjote
Fire temples keep a sacred flame, tended by priests in white, and worshippers offer sandalwood and pray before it. At the Navjote, children aged around seven to fifteen receive the sedreh, a white shirt, and the kusti, a cord tied three times around the waist, and are welcomed into the faith before family and friends, with a feast after. The occasion is among the happiest in the community, and children remember it for life.
Nowruz and the feasts
Nowruz, the new year at the spring equinox, is the main festival, with the haft-sin table and visits. Parsi New Year, Pateti, falls in summer or autumn according to a different calendar. The Gahambars are seasonal feasts that bring the community together, and a Parsi wedding or Navjote includes a dish of sweet vermicelli, lagan nu custard and a cheerful procession. Food, including dhansak and patra ni machhi, is a point of pride.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Zoroastrian (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇷 Iran and 7 moreNowruzنوروز
The Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsSeasonal
🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 1 moreFire templeآتشکده
A consecrated sanctuary where Zoroastrians tend sacred fires and gather for worshipSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreKhordad Salخرداد روز
A Zoroastrian festival marking the birth of the prophet Zarathushtra with prayers and feasts.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇲🇦 Marrakesh, Morocco and 5 moreGnawa musicڭْناوة or كْناوة
A spiritual musical tradition of Morocco that blends West African rhythms with Islamic ritual to heal and connect communPerformance
🇦🇫 Kabul, Afghanistan and 1 moreAttanاتڼ
A Pashtun circle dance of drums and clapping, kept at weddings and gatherings.Performance
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 3 morePersian gardenباغ ایرانی
An ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing waterCraft
🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreMaslenitsaМасленица
A seven-day Eastern Slavic festival of pancakes and bonfires marking the end of winter before Lent.Festival · Breakfast
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreYaldā Nightشب یلدا
A solstice night of poetry, fruit and family, kept from Iran through Central AsiaFestival · Dinner
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreChaharshanbe Suriچهارشنبهسوری
An Iranian festival of fire and renewal celebrated on the eve of the final Wednesday before spring.Festival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreMehreganمهرگان
An Iranian autumn festival honoring Mithra, friendship, and the harvestSeasonal
🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineChristmas in UkraineРіздво (Rizdvo)
A Ukrainian Christmas celebration with a twelve-dish vegan supper on Christmas Eve and observance on January 6 or DecembFestival · Supper
🇮🇷 Iran and 3 morePahlevani and zurkhaneh ritualsآیین پهلوانی و زورخانهای
A traditional Iranian martial art blending calisthenics, wrestling, music and ethicsGame
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreSizdah Bedarسیزدهبدر
An open-air picnic holiday concluding the Iranian New Year celebrationsFestival
🇮🇷 Amol, Iran and 3 moreTirganتیرگان (Tirgān)
An ancient Iranian summer festival of water, poetry and rainbow bands, kept on the thirteenth day of Tir.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Yazd, Iran and 1 moreSadehسده
An ancient midwinter festival of fire, light, and the approach of springFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇿 AzerbaijanNovruzNovruz Bayramı
The Azerbaijani spring equinox festival of bonfires, sweets and sprouted wheatSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreFuneral
The ceremony a community holds when someone dies, from burial to cremationRite of passage
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreAncestor worship
Honouring dead relatives with offerings and prayers, kept in many cultures worldwideSpiritual
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreNewrozنەورۆز
A Kurdish spring festival and new year celebration marked by bonfires, dance, and the lighting of fires.Festival
🇮🇷 Tehran, IranIranian weddingمراسم عروسی در ایران
A wedding with courtship visits, a henna night and a spread of symbols, kept across IranRite of passage
🇮🇳 IndiaZoroastrian wedding
A multi-day Zoroastrian ceremony uniting two people through prayers, rituals and a shared meal.Rite of passage · Dinner
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇰🇪 Kenya and 5 moreBurial
Placing the dead in the ground or a structure to honor them and guide their journey.Rite of passage
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 7 moreEgg decorating
Decorating eggs with dye, wax and carving, kept at Easter, Nowruz and springCraft
🇦🇱 Gjirokastër, Albania and 5 moreDodola and Perperuna
A rainmaking ritual kept across Southeast Europe, where children dressed in greenery lead processions to call for summerSpiritual
🇮🇷 IranKhāne-takānīخانهتکانی
A spring cleaning ritual in Iran that prepares homes for the Norouz new year.Festival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Christmas in Ukraine: Halyna Kuchmanych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chaharshanbe Suri: Philippe Giabbanelli, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mehregan: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maslenitsa: Лобачев Владимир, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Antyesti: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Sizdah Bedar: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sadeh: Farzad j, Public domain, source
- Pahlevani and zurkhaneh rituals: Hossein Khosravi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Tirgan: LACIPETO, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Novruz: Abutalub, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
- Fire temple: Uploaded to Flickr by Adam Jones (Copied to Wikimedia by nagualdesign, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Persian garden: dynamosquito, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gnawa music: Lucyin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Newroz: Salar Arkan - سالار ارکان, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Iranian wedding: Flickr.com user "avlxyz", CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Yaldā Night: M.Sadegh Nikgostar/Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, source
- Egg decorating: L.Kenzel, CC BY 3.0, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Burial: Rama , commissioned by Wikimédia France, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, source
- Khāne-takānī: Niloofar Rakhshan, CC BY 4.0, source