ZAF RELIGIOUS CLASS KEM NA MAZDA, THE MEHERGAN THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL & THE DEATH CEREMONY OCTOBER 2015

KEM NA MAZDA PRAYER Kem na Mazda! mavaite payum dadat, Hyat ma dregvao didareshata aenanghe, Anyem thwa ahmat athrascha mananghascha Yayao shyaothnaish ashem thraoshta, Ahura! Tam moi dastvam daena yai fravaocha. Ke verethrem-ha thwa poi sengha yoi henti Chithra moi dam ahumbish ratum chizhdi. At hoi vohu Sraosho jantu manangha Mazda ahmai yahmai vashi kahmaichit. Pata-no tbishyantat pairi, Mazdaoscha Armaitischa Spentascha, nase daevi drukhsh, nase daevochithre, nase daevofrakarshte, nase daevo fradaite, apa druksh nase, apa druksh dvara, apa druksh vinase, apakhedhre, apanasyehe. Ma merenchainish gaethao astavitish ashahe. Nemascha ya Armaitish izhacha.

KEM NA MAZDA- ENGLISH TRANSLATION Whom Mazda, have you appointed protector over me when the evil doers threaten me with violence? Who, other than your fire and good thoughts (will protect me) through the working of which truth will thrive? Creator clearly declare to me this sacred teaching of the religion. Who shall be the conqueror protecting all those that live by our teachings? Reveal clearly to me a wise spiritual teacher for both the worlds and let Sraosha (Obedience / Intuition) come to him with good mind and to whomever you love, Mazda. Mazda, with the help of your benevolent devotion, protect us all around from enemies. Evil you perish, evil of devil’s origin perish. Evil shown by devil perish, evil following devil’s path perish, evil you utterly perish, evil you utter vanish, evil you utterly and entirely vanish. You utterly vanish in the North so that you may not be able to destroy the material creation of righteousness. Homage and salutation to benevolent Devotion.

THE 3 PILLARS OF OUR RELIGION Humata-Good Thoughts(the intention or moral resolution to abide by Asha or Truth and make the right choices Hukhta-Good Words is the communication of that good intention Huvarshta-Good deeds is the realization in action of that intention This is the moral code by which Zoroastrians live

JASHANE MEHERGAN THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL THE ORIGINAL IRANIAN CALENDAR WAS DIVIDED INTO 2 EQUAL PARTS OR SEASONS. THE FIRST WAS SUMMER AND THE SECOND WAS WINTER. THE COMING OR ADVENT OF THE TWO SEASONS WAS CELEBRATED WITH NAVROZE IN SPRING AND MEHERGAN IN THE FALL JASHANE MEHERGAN IS A FALL FESTIVAL CELEBRATED BY ANCIENT IRANIANS AS SUGGESTED IN THE AVESTAN TEXTS AND IS THE HARVEST THANKSGIVING FESTIVAL THE WORD MEHER IN MEHERGAN REPRESENTS KINDNESS. IT ALSO REPRESENTS KNOWLEDGE, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP IN IRAN PEOPLE EXCHANGE GIFTS, GIVE THANKS FOR THE GOOD HARVEST(WHAT THEY HAVE)CELEBRATE WITH DANCE AND MUSIC AND WEAR NEW WINTER CLOTHES.

4 IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A ZOROASTRIAN BIRTH NAVJOTE MARRIAGE DEATH

ZOROASTRIAN BELIEFS ABOUT DEATH At death the soul and body separate. The soul which has existed with the body for many years and which has been its home, does not leave the body immediately. It stays around in this world for three nights after death. The body in the mean time starts to decompose. The funeral ceremony has to take place immediately. Otherwise it is possible that disease might spread to those who are around it. According to our religion the dead body is an impure thing. It must be washed as soon as possible and dressed in a sudreh with a kushti tied around the waist, with recitation of the Kushti Prayers. Over this the body must be dressed in white clothes with only the face showing. The. A fire is lit next to the body and a priest or family member prays continuously near the body,

EQUALITY IN DEATH Zoroastrian funeral ceremonies, the Geh Sarnu, are defined by simplicity and cleanliness. Death is seen as a great equalizer. the Zoroastrian methods of laying a body to rest, is egalitarian. In the words of the Persian poet Saadi, death , "che bar takht murdan, che bar rui-i-khak", "whether one dies on a throne or on a floor made of earth,". Rather than building monuments and tombstones for the departed, their memory is expected to live on it the hearts and prayers of their families. Funeral ceremonies for the departed take place immediately after death - if possible within the period of six hours.

PREPARING FOR THE DEATH CEREMONY Ritual Bath / Sachkar At the earliest opportunity, the body of the deceased is thoroughly washed by an even number, say two, of family members or individuals who know the procedure. The washing is performed using gomez (taro, or white bull's urine) followed by well water. Some systems omit the water wash. The gomez acts as an anti-bacterial disinfectant, and in the old days, its use in cleansing helped prevent the spread of infectious diseases. When gomez was not available, ash was used instead. Nowadays, the use of gomez is symbolic and often omitted given modern sanitation, if the bath is performed shortly after death and certainly within the first six hours of a gah, the concerns regarding polluting water and spreading disease may be alleviated.

WRAPPING THE KUSTI Wrapping the Kusti After washing the body, family members dress the body in the recently washed old white cotton clothes including the sudrah and a prayer cap is placed on its head. Then while reciting the kusti prayers, the nearest relative, wraps a kusti, the girdle worn by Zoroastrians after initiation, around the body. If possible, the wrapping of the kusti is done by the eldest son or daughter of the father or mother respectively.

MOURNING AMONG THE ZOROASTRIANS Demeanor of the Bereaved In saying their goodbyes and paying their respects to the deceased, Zoroastrians believe that displaying excessive grief at their loss makes it difficult for the soul to leave this world and move on to the next. For this reason, Zoroastrians refrain from excessive displays of grief and loss. The purpose of the funeral services and prayers is to aid and not hinder the soul on its journey.

THE SAGDID CEREMONY Prayers for the Departed The prayers for the deceased - primarily the yasna that includes the gathas - are recited by two priests. During the recital of the yasna's ahunavaiti gatha, the priests stand on the outer circle - three paces away from the body. Their connection is accomplished by a white strip of cloth between them. Confirmation of Death / Sagdid Halfway through the recital of Yasna 31.4, a special dog 'four-eyed' (chatur- chasma) dog - a dog with two eye-like spots above its eyes - is brought before the body to confirm death in a ritual called sagdid (dog-sight). If the dog stares steadily at the body, then the person is still alive. If the dog does not look at the body, the passing away of the person is confirmed.

THE TOWERS OF SILENCE/DAKHMA Towers of silence, or dakhmas, are squat circular walled stone structures, inside which bodies of the deceased are exposed to birds who eat the flesh. The towers are built on hill tops and are often surrounded by lush gardens. This practice is not followed in the US as we do not have Dakhmas so when a person passes on we cremate the person (no pollution, no large memorials) The loved one is remembered in the hearts of his family

BOMBAY-TOWERS OF SILENCE

MODERN DAY PRACTICES Modern Practices The use of towers of silence or dakhmas is now only practiced by Zoroastrians in India - and there too, other methods are being explored and used. Among the many factors that are contributing to the decline in the use dakhmas by Zoroastrians are: - the diaspora of Zoroastrians to countries where the practice is impractical or inappropriate, - the excessive use of medical drugs for dying individuals - drugs that are toxic to birds, or - a lack of birds in some locations, and - a change in attitude among Zoroastrians.- new hall in Worli for cremation

THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY There is also a spiritual journey involved when a Zoroastrian dies. It is believed that the soul stays with the body for three days after death in the care of Sraosha or Angel. Some believe that the soul moves completely out of the body but stays within close proximity to the body, causing suffering and anxiety due to separation. These three days are the mourning period for the family and friends of the deceased. No meat is eaten and no food is prepared in the house where the body was prepared. Instead, friends and relatives cook food in their houses and bring the food to the family. At the end of the third night, the soul leaves the material world. It is accompanied by Daena, or conscience, to the Separator or Chinvat Bridge.

THE SOUL’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY The soul must then cross the Chinvat bridge where it meets an angel/maiden. If the soul was good and has lead the path of Righteousness, the bridge becomes very broad, and the angel welcomes the soul. If the soul has not led the path of Righteousness, the soul is confronted by an ugly image which is an embodiment of everything bad it has done. The good soul then crosses the Chinvat bridge into the House of Song (Zoroastrian Paradise or Vahista Ahu/Garo Demana). If the soul was evil, the bridge becomes razor thin. The soul then tries to cross the bridge but falls into the House of Lies (Achista Ahu/Drujo Demana) which is similar to the concept of Hell. In Zoroastrian scriptures heaven and hell are not places but rather states of mind that result from right or wrong choices.

TAKE AWAY WHAT WAS THE ONE THING YOU LEARNED TODAY? WHAT IS THE FALL THNKSGIVING FESTIVAL CALLED? Jashne Mehergan WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE SEPARATOR BRIDGE? Chinvat bridge WHAT IS THE HOUSE OF SONG CALLED? Vahista Ahu or Garo Demana WHAT IS THE HOUSE OF LIES CALLED? Achista Ahu or Drujo Demana

ACTIVITY GGOOD

LET’S GREET EACH OTHER HAMA ZOR HAMA ASHO BED MAY WE UNITED MAY WE BE UNITED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS! ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT HOVI @ hovess@aol.com