Author Archives: orthodoxzoroastrian

The autumnal festival of Miθrá falls on October 2nd in the ancient seasonal Zoroastrian Calendar! Zoroastrians consider Miθrá, the guardian of early morning hours after dawn, and invoke him in their morning prayers.  Also, the first month of autumn is dedicated … Continue reading →

Vernal Equinox marks the beginning of the Zoroastrian New Year and is the most sacred of all the Zoroastrian religious festivals. The rites associated with the celebration of Vernal Equinox and New Year were later called the New Dawn/New Day … Continue reading →

Aži Dahāk or the “snake man/monster,” is viewed as the greatest lieutenant of aæšma, the demon-God of “upside down order, vengeful anger, chaos, and wrath” in Zoroastrian mythology. Aæšma, in turn is the greatest lieutenant of añgrá, the anti-Godhood, “the … Continue reading →

The subject of Zarathustra’s time, the seer-prophet of ancient Indo-Iranians has been a very contentious issue in the field of ancient Iranian studies. Some western academics have literally called that “an embarrassment of long standing” to the field of Zoroastrian … Continue reading →

The last ten days before Vernal Equinox/New Year are a time of reflection and introspection among Zoroastrians. Not only we thoroughly clean and beautify our homes, but must come clean mentally/spiritually, about our motives and actions before the new year/spring … Continue reading →

The festival of the Auspicious Ármaiti falls on February 18th in the Zoroastrian sacred calendar. Per our age-old tradition, every year, we write verses from the Avesta (“sacred songs/poetry” of the Zoroastrians) on a piece of parchment paper and affix the … Continue reading →

The Zoroastrians celebrate their major winter festival called sadæ on the fortieth day after the winter solstice. It is believed that fortieth (also known as “čellae” in Persian) is the most freezing night of winter. The festivities start on January 24th, culminate … Continue reading →

A characteristic aspect of Zoroastrianism is its veneration of light/fire. The elaborate cult of fire is one of the most distinctive and striking aspects of the Zoroastrian faith and goes back to the earliest periods of the ancient Indo-European spiritual … Continue reading →

November 15 marks the last day of the month of waters in the Zoroastrian calendar. In ancient Zoroastrianism, a splendid god-force associated with waters known as ápam napát is honored during prayers at each sunset. Apám Napát refers to some … Continue reading →

October 26th marks the festival of waters. The hymn or Yašt to waters is among the longest and most beautiful in the sacred Avestan literature. In Zoroastrian worship both fire and water play a crucial role. The month of waters “ábán” … Continue reading →