“Three Parsi New Years”

Papeti-ni khushali, Jamshedi Navroz Mubarak and Happy Isawi New Year to you all, especially to your anguished correspondent Mehroo Kharegat. Why does she trouble to explain at length these very Parsi calendar anomalies to non-Parsis in "Three Parsi New Years” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, April 21, 2009)? Why three? Because in such matters we’re pig-headed, scatter-brained, mule-stubborn, and dismissive of our true heritage.

Kharegat graciously calls us "educated” — how so, and in what manner? Certainly not in our religion, history or culture. Two of our vague calendars are wholly erroneous and irreligious. The third, misnamed Fasli, is the only one that makes sense as an accurate, religiously inculcated, time-reckoner. To ascend into exactitudes, that obnoxious Arabic term should properly be Sal-i denig (Pahlavi for "religious year”) or Dini-sal (Pazand, likewise). These could be happily abbreviated to SD or DS, and certainly not the ridiculous YZ!

Briefly, the spring-equinoctial beginning suits everyone, more especially Shah Jamshid who was the first to declare it No-ruz. There was a credible case made for a winter-solstitial start (December 24) in the real Dae mah, but it was nervously felt that the Christians would see it as some conspiracy on their "Son of God’s” birthday being displaced by some heathenish messiah. This latter case rested upon the indisputable fact that the resplendent sun (Khvare shaeta/Khorshed) began its long steady climb towards its southerly high noon point six months later, bringing with it much needed light, warmth, growth and joy during the lengthening days for all the northern hemisphere.

This southerly mid-day point is Rapithwin, and for the prayerful ones amongst us it cannot have escaped notice that of all the five gahs in our full Zoroastrian day only this one is honored with its special Afrin or blessing. Why? It is our steadfast astronomical control over our calendar, as is the fourth month of Tir which our learned priestly ancestors allowed in to break up the indissoluble partnership of Haurvatat and Ameretat (Khordad and Amardad). Its enthralling story may be read both in Egypt and in our Tir Yasht.

Our six gahanbars are all precisely located at careful intervals throughout the 365-day year (originally an Ancient Egyptian "discovery”). Each five-day gahanbar is named according to the seasonal duties of our remote agro-pastoral ancestors. Thus we have "mid-spring,” "mid-summer” and "mid-year (winter)” for the two astronomical dates; and "Corn-harvesting/Hay-making,” "Return of the cattle-herds” from summer pastures to winter enclosures, and the preparatory "Collective field-work” to clear brushwood and undergrowth, dig irrigation channels and drainage ditches. Crucially, it was confirmed by the priests of old who arranged their funerary rites according to the fixed summer and winter solar reckoning and not some vague, ever-slowing calendar. This, and much else, is found in our religious calendar texts like the pertinent Bundahishn chapters and some from the Denkard. No texts suggest the contrary. Our geh-sarnas are worthless if not timely observed — explain that to the bereaved and the soul of the departed!

Sadly, instead of fixed dates throughout the year, we have a retard of one day every four years: which makes an absolute nonsense of these religiously positioned dates and duties — truly a ghambar-nu ghotalo! Will we never learn, or shall we continue resisting change in favor of "traditions” that encourage lies and the perpetuation of past errors of negligence? Both are highly likely.

Since we are determined on standing at a tangent to the rest of humankind, it is thought imperative that we vehemently reject all moves at harmonizing with the Common Era (CE) calendar with its one-day-every-four-years’ system of intercalation. The humbug of one month every 120 years was exposed as far back as 1126 CE since which date all rectifications have seized up. So much for tradition and its continuity.

Our stagnationists employ all manner of quirky antics to stifle moves towards unity and sanity. They utter blatant untruths on the unified calendar issue, including gems like "there are no seasons in India,” "there are no set prayers for the leap day” and even "Watch out! Reformists about!” That being so, it becomes our bounden duty to point out that their dhongidoxist prayers are mistimed, inappropriate and wrongly dedicated to their "manito yazad (favored divinity).” They are worthless prattle, fit only for mocking Mazda.

We are confronted instead with "religious authorities” who are incompetent, imbecilic, and frankly, inconsequential. (Parsiana appears to be doing a good job in drawing the attention of the community at large to such crazy anomalies.) Thus far, no serious counter-challenge has been mounted.

FARROKH VAJIFDAR

London

f.vajifdar@btinternet.com