Mission matchmaking
Marriage is not for the fainthearted, and the search for a life partner requires both courage and confidence. Whilst the online matrimonial portals may provide easy access to members of the opposite sex, face-to-face interactions arranged by family, friends and matchmakers may be tiresome and taxing. The collective effort, though, continues to offer hope to a community desperate to see members marry within its fold.
Matchmakers have observed that expectations are rising not only among the brides, but also the grooms and their parents (see "Avenues for alliances,” pg 34). The need to consult astrologers too is stronger in the case of arranged marriages. And when some parents actively dissuade their children from marrying lest they lose emotional or financial support in their old age, matchmakers are alarmed.
Although compromise and consideration in a love marriage may make it easier to arrange the nuptials, an arranged marriage too has some inbuilt safeguards. "The parents are in the loop so they are happy. Hormones which often blind oneself to that wonderful feeling called love come up later, keeping your thought processes clear and objective. And it is statistically proven that an arranged marriage has a much higher success rate than an instinctive marriage,” claims the online matrimonial portal Chaalo Kaaj Kariye.
Most matchmakers, offering honorary service, feel their efforts are rewarded when they see one more union in the community. The couples though are frequently reluctant to publicly acknowledge the assistance they have received from matrimonial service providers.
Cause for celebration
Our "Celebrations guide” (pg 42) 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, outstation facilities have also been accommodated. 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 list them in the future. Also provided are the contact numbers of the popular venues in Bombay for the convenience of those planning a function. Parsiana is not able to verify the authenticity of each of the service providers listed. Readers are advised to exercise caution and ask for references if they so wish.
The accompanying 12 pages of the Gregorian calendar for the year 2015 (see pgs 22-33) provide a ready reference for those who want to know the mah and roz of a certain date according to the Shahenshahi (S), Kadmi (K) and Fasli (F) calendars. The abbreviated version of the mah in 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).
From UK based independent 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” — to bring the total to 365 days in a year. But no allowance was made for the additional quarter day every year 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 (¼ x 120 = 30), a feature that was not observed consistently. The last time this one-month calendar rectification was made in Iran was 1,100 years ago 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 and the calendar has since been referred to as the Shahenshahi (or royal) calendar. When Dastur Jamasp (called Vilayati) of Kerman visited India he pointed out the one month discrepancy between the calendars in Iran and India following which some Parsis broke away from the Shahenshahis and in 1745 established the Kadmi (ancient) calendar. Neither the Kadmi nor the Shahenshahi calendar now synchronizes with the seasons, the gahs and the gahanbars and hence festivals are observed at inappropriate times.
The accurate calendar followed by the Iranians and Faslis — called the sal-i-denig or Din-i sal ("the religious year”) — observes the gahanbars, the seasonally solar months, festivals, muktads and paravs at the correct time with the recitation of prayers serving a meaningful role, explains Vajifdar.
The Iranians continue to observe March 21, the spring equinox, as their New Year for it signifies fresh growth and awakening after 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.
Yazdegirdi 1383/84/85 for the Fasli, Kadmi and Shahenshahi calendars dates back to the coronation of the last Zoroastrian Sasanian King Yazdegird III in 632 CE. Next to the month line atop every page, readers will notice the year according to the Yazdegirdi era (AY 1383/84/85).
There are some Zarathushtis who believe that since the Yazdegirdi era reminds one of the last Zarathushti emperor who was overthrown by Arab invaders, "it is not a happy recollection.” They would rather calculate the Zarathushtrian Religious Era (ZRE) from the vernal equinox in 1737 BCE when Zarathushtra supposedly proclaimed his divine message to humanity. As per that reckoning, 2015 would correspond to 3752/53 ZRE. Since its establishment in 1990, the Zarathushtrian Assembly has observed ZRE as the beginning of the Zarathushtrian calendar, also known as the Iranian or Persian calendar. Subsequently the Zarathushti community in Iran adopted the ZRE as the basis for its calendar, to be followed by many Iranian Zarathushtis in the diaspora, explains Ali Jafarey in his note on "The Precise Iranian Calendar, made simple.”
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).
