Alliance and allegiance

Zoroastrians who opt for interfaith marriages continue to patronize Parsi establishments when it is time for wedding celebrations. And even though they may be denied the convenience of several Parsi baugs as a venue for the function, it is Parsi jewelers, sari designers, photographers and caterers they patronize amidst their jubilations.

In fact those marrying out of the community are more traditional in their choice of jewelry designs and garas for they seem to want to showcase Parsi tastes and ensure that such heirlooms are available to their progeny, attest service providers who have over the years witnessed a rise in intercommunity marriages but fortunately no reduction in business (see "Acceptance with ashir­wad,” page 15).

When it comes to food, although Parsi hosts may like to incorporate different varieties depending on the background of the non-Parsi spouse, it is acknowledged that there is no substitute for universal favorites like paatraa ni machhi and dhansak which non-Parsis relish the most.

With more interfaith couples opting to undergo the Zoroastrian rites and rituals associated with a traditional Parsi lagan, the presiding priests also use this opportunity to spread knowledge about the Zoroastrian religion and its customs.

Cause for celebration

Our "Celebrations guide” on page 38 has attempted to list the gamut of services available under different heads. The primarily Bombay based listing is mainly of Parsi establishments although certain non-Parsis patronized by the community have been included. Where known, the outstation facilities have also been included. We realize the list may not be exhaustive and hope to be excused for any unintentional lapses. Those whom we may have overlooked can write in to us and we will accommodate them in the future. Also provided here are the contact numbers of the popular venues in Bombay for the convenience of those planning a function.

Choose your calendar

The accompanying 12 pages of the Gregorian calendar for the year 2012 (see pg 18) provide a ready reference for those who want to know the mah and roz of a certain date according to the Shahenshahi, Kadmi and Fasli calendars.

While the abbreviated version of the mah for each calendar is specified at the top of the page (please refer to the list of abbreviations at the end of this introduction in case of doubt), in the case of the rozs (mentioned against each date) the first line bears the Shahenshahi and Kadmi roz and the second line, the Fasli roz. During the month of July when the Shahenshahi and Kadmi rozs do not tally beginning with the first Kadmi Gatha day (i.e. July 14) and ending with the last Gatha day (i.e. July 18), the first line bears the Shahenshahi roz, the second line, the Kadmi roz, and the last line, the Fasli roz.

Beginning with the Shahenshahi New Year on August 18, 2012 until the first Fasli Gatha day on March 16, 2013 the rozs for all the three calendars remain the same.

From UK based religious researcher Farrokh Vajifdar we have gleaned that in ancient Iran there were several calendars in use. The earliest time-reckoner, suited to an agro-pastoral society, was luni-solar comprising 12 months of 30 days each. Later the priesthood introduced the five Gatha days or the panjag-i weh ­— "the good pentad.” The quarter day intercalation was not recognized until the calendar became noticeably out of step with the seasons. That is when the ancient Zoroastrians added an extra month of 30 days every 120 years (¼x120=30). Being impractical it was not regularly practiced and the last attested one-month intercalation was made in Iran in 375 Anno Yazdegirdi (AY= in the year of Yazdegird) or 1005/6 Common Era (CE). In India, this one-month intercalation was last attempted in 1125/6 CE. It has since been recognized as the Shahenshahi calendar. When Dastur Jamasp (called Vilayati) of Kerman visited India he pointed out the one month discrepancy between the Iranian and Indian calendars following which some Parsis broke away from the Shahenshahis and in 1745 established the Kadmi (ancient) calendar. Both the Kadmi and Shahenshahi calendars do not synchronize with the seasons, the gahs and the gahanbars.

Actually our true calendar — called the sal-i-denig or Din-i sal ("the religious year”) — accurately fixes the dates and sequences of our gahanbars, the seasonally solar months, festivals, muktads and paravs. The prayers would then serve a purpose, explains Vajifdar.

The Iranians continue to observe March 21, the spring equinox, as their New Year for it manifests a physical resurrection after the months of harsh winter and hibernation. The Zoroastrians in India who consider Jamshedi Navroz or March 21 as their New Year are the Faslis (Fasli means seasonal in Arabic) who have their roots in the Zarthosti Fasli Sal Mandal founded by Kharshedji Cama in 1906. Following the leap year logic, they add a sixth Gatha day, Roz-e Wahizag, every four years to ensure that their New Year is permanently celebrated on March 21. The Fasli calendar for the year 2012 thus accommodates Roz-e-Wahizag on March 20.

Yazdegirdi 1380/81/82 for the Fasli, Kadmi and Shahenshahi calendars, dates back to the coronation of the last Zoroastrian Sassanian King Yazdegird III in 632 AC. Next to the month line atop every page, readers will notice the year according to the Yazdegirdi era (AY 1380/1381/1382).

Noted opticians Phiroze M. Dastoor and Company who specialize in contact lenses and laser vision correction deserve our special thanks for sponsoring the Parsiana calendar.

Abbreviations of the mahs: Fravardin (Frav), Ardibehesht (Ardi), Khordad (Khor), Tir (Tir), Amardad (Amar), Shahrevar (Shah), Meher (Meh), Avan (Avan), Adar (Adar), Dae (Dae), Bahman (Bahm), Span­darmad (Span).