THE ZOROASTRIAN CALENDAR ZAF PRAYER CLASS MARCH, 2015

LET’S REVISE WHAT ARE THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT NAVJOTE PRAYERS? KEM NA MAZDA, AHURA MAZDA KHODAE, JASA MAY AVANGE MAZDA WHAT DOES FRAVASHI MEAN? GUARDIAN ANGEL WHAT IS THE GOOD SPIRIT CALLED AND WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT? SPENTA MAINYU-Brilliant, positive, constructive, and beneficent spirit that seeks wisdom WHAT IS THE BAD SPIRIT CALLED AND WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT? ANGRA MAINYU-Gloomy, negative, destructive, and harmful spirit that wishes to remain ignorant WHAT DOES HUMATA, HUKHTA, HVARSHTA STAND FOR? GOOD THOUGHTS, GOOD WORDS AND GOOD DEEDS

ZOROASTRIAN CALENDARS SHAHANSHAHI (or Shenshai): The calendar of many Parsee Zoroastrians, including some of the more influential Dasturs (High Priests). It is based on a religious calendar which was theoretically synchronized with the seasons by intercalating(inserting) a month every 120 years, but the intercalation was not consistently followed. (Starts in Summer August AKA Fravardin). QADIMI ('ancient'): In 1746 a group of priests and laymen in Surat adopted the Irani calendar on the assumption that it represented an older tradition. The Qadimi calendar is one month ahead of the Shahanshahi and is followed by a minority of Iranians and Parsees living in Iran or in India.(Starts in Summer July AKA Fravardin) FASLI : A religious/Seasonal calendar which is kept in harmony with the seasons by intercalating one day every four years, patterned after the Gregorian calendar. Nauruz (New Year's Day) is fixed on March 21. It is followed by Iranians and Zoroastrians who have migrated to the West.(Starts in Spring March AKA Fravardin) Each month and each day of the Zoroastrian calendar is presided over by a spiritual being; special prayers (from the Avesta) are observed in honor of that spiritual being.

A ZOROASTRIAN DAY Divisions of the day A day is reckoned to begin at dawn. Each day is divided into five watches: Hawan (sunrise to noon) Rapithwin or Second Hawan (noon to 3 p.m.) Uzerin (3 p.m. to sunset) Aiwisruthrem (sunset to midnight) Ushahin (midnight to sunrise)

ZOROASTRIAN DAYS OF THE MONTH The months and the days of the month in the Zoroastrian calendar are dedicated to, and named after, a divinity or divine concept. The religious importance of the calendar dedications is very significant. Not only does the calendar establish the hierarchy of the major divinities, it ensures the frequent invocation of their names since the divinities of both day and month are mentioned at every Zoroastrian act of worship

ZOROASTRIAN MONTHS OF THE YEAR

DAYS OF THE MONTH AND THEIR MEANINGS

ZOROASTRIAN MONTHS OF THE YEAR The month-names (with Avestan language names in parentheses), in the ordinal sequence used today, are: 1. Fravardin (Frauuašinąm) 2. Ardibesht (Ašahe Vahištahe) 3. Khordad (Haurvatātō) 4. Tir (Tištryehe) 5. Amardad (Amərətātō) 6. Shahrewar (Xšaθrahe Vairyehe) 7. Mihr (Miθrahe) 8. Avan (Apąm) 9. Adur (Āθrō) 10. Dae (Daθušō [Ahurahe Mazdå]) 11. Bahman (Vaŋhə̄uš Manaŋhō) 12. Aspendard (Spəntayā̊ Ārmatōiš)

HAFT SEEN TABLE ZARATHUSTRA PICTURE AND AVESTA SOFREH-TABLECLOTH SEEB-APPLE REPRESENTS EARTH SHAMA-CANDLE REPRESENTS FIRE/LIGHT SABSEH-PLANTS REPRESENTS RENEWAL , REBIRTH AND GROWTH SHARAB-WINE REPRESENTS MATURITY SHIR-MILK REPRESENTS STRENGTH /HEALTH SHERBET NARANJ-ORANGE JUICE REPRESENTS ENJOYMENT SONBOL-HYACINTH BUD REPRESENTS GRACE, RENEWAL AND REBIRTH SHAKKAR-SUGAR REPRESENTS SWEETNESS IN LIFE SHAHAD-HONEY REPRESENTS GOOD HEALTHY LIVING SEER-GARLIC ROOT REPRESENTS MEDICINAL QUALITIES AND VIGOR SENJED-OLIVE /POMEGRANATE FRUIT REPRESENTS LOVE SERKEH-VINEGAR REPRESENTS OLD AGE AND PATIENCE MAHI-GOLDFISH REPRESENTS ANIMAL KINGDOM TOKHMEH MURGH-EGGS REPRESENT FERTILITY AND LIFE SAMANU-SWEET PUDDING REPRESENTS AFFLUENCE SEKKEH-GOLD COINS REPRESENT WEALTH GOLAB-ROSE WATER REPRESENTS THE ELEMENT OF WATER/OCEANS AYNEH-MIRROR REPRESENTS EVERYHTING YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE.

LET’S ROLL THE DICE! ROLL THE DICE DEPENDING ON WHAT NUMBER YOU ROLL TELL US SOMETHING THAT YOU LEARNED IN CLASS TODAY FOR EXAMPLE IF I ROLL – TWO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TWO THINGS THAT I LEARNED IN CLASS TODAY!

Hamā Zor, Hamā Asho Bēd May we be United, May we be United in Righteousness Any questions: hovess@aol.com