Navroz round the world

This year the advent of the spring equinox was at 04.48 pm (GMT) in the afternoon of March 20th but the traditional jashans took place on the established day — March 21 — with 275 New Zealanders attending the ceremony conducted by 14 priests in Auckland, as notes an e-mail from the president of the Zara­thushtrian Association of New Zealand (ZANZ) Rashna Tata.

In London the Zoroastrian Trust funds of Europe (ZTFE) attracted 50 Zarathushtis from Birmingham, Leicester and Manchester among the 650 who attended the celebration at the Zoroastrian Centre. The jashan there was performed by young Begzad Karkaria whose grandfather Jal Karkaria has served the community for over 50 years, as notes a communiqué from ZTFE president Paurush Jila. Five other veteran mobeds joined Karkaria in celebrating the occasion. Also on the menu was a Haftsheen Table, the launch of the sixth edition of the ZTFE directory, courtesy ZTFE trustee Rusi Dalal and Freny Jasawalla and the inauguration of the new kitchen generously funded by Khorshed and Mahinder Sodhi, as notes Jila. Another innovation was the provision of Navroz gifts to children under 11 thanks to a donation from Simin and Shahrokh Shahrokh.

New York and San Jose witnessed Navroz parades and a BBC report in Persian from Dubai illustrates the celebrations there. A report filed by Homi Gandhi, president of the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) on ZNA (Zoroastrian News Agency) speaks of Zoroastrians from ZAGNY joining Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of the City of New York, in a celebratory holiday breakfast at Gracie Mansion (the official residence of the New York Mayor) on March 25, 2008. A beautiful invitation, with a Haft-sheen table photograph on the cover, describes Navroz "which means ‘new day’ in Persian, is a New Year holiday observed by Afghan, Azerbaijani, Central Asian, Iranian, Pakistani and Parsi people of all faiths. With its roots in the Zoroastrian religion, Navroz, a 3,000 year old celebration, symbolizes the unveiling of spring after its winter slumber.”

Indeed, the New York area had one of the most extended celebrations of all. The calendar of events filed by Gandhi and Iranian Zoroastrian Association (IZA) president Shirin Khosravi notes that interfaith leaders and diplomats were invited to share the celebration with the community on March 22 at their Pomona Darbe Mehr followed by the Mayor’s function on March 25. Khordadsal — Zarathushtra’s birth anniversary — was celebrated on March 29 at Pomona and the Zoroastrians took part in the fifth Persian Parade in the streets of New York on March 30.

A letter from Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, begins, "It is my distinct honor to bring you greetings on the occasion of Nowruz, Persian New Year. As Speaker of the House, and the Representative from California’s 8th Congressional District in San Francisco, I am proud to have a diverse constituency, including a vibrant Iranian-American community that represents the beauty and strength of our country.” The letter has been posted on the ZNA website by Rashid Mehin.