Hyderabad: City Parsis ring in Navroz with traditional fervour
Hyderabad: The Parsi community in the city, though being a very small, celebrated its new year 1393 YZ (YazdeZardi), Navroz, with pomp and show on Wednesday. Parsis visited the fire temples in the city; the festivities lasted till late in the night with a sumptuous meal.
The celebrations started early in the morning with members of the community, decked up new clothes, going round fire temples ( there are three fire temples in the city including two in Secunderabad and the other in Abids).
In the evening at the Parsidharamshala, various entertainment programmes were organised.
According to members of the community, the Parsi New Year marks the first day of the Zoroastrian calendar which is also known as Farvardin. It holds a special place in the hearts of Parsis, as they follow the Shehanshahi calendar that doesn’t consider leap years. However, most Parsis around the world celebrate this festival in March also.
Said Nazneen Irani, an MNC employee,”we held prayers or jashan at AnjumanAgiary (fire temple) and organised another jashan at the Old Agiary. Prayers were followed by high tea. In the evening we had a get-together in the Parsi dharmashala, as every year all community members gather at Zoroastrian Club, but due to the ongoing dispute regarding the club, we have changed our venue. It did not hamper the spirit in our celebrations.”
Nabeel, a member of the community explained, “we have a ten-day-long festival during which we pay homage to ancestors. The community in India, including in Telangana, has shrunk with time. But what we miss in numbers, we make up with gusto and pomp. Also, we are big foodies; our festival revolves around food.
‘On Navroz we decorate our homes with toran (flowers) and make rangoli, which is different from the traditional ones that others make.
We have a stencil for the tangelo and it has many geometrical designs. Fish is considered very auspicious; you will see various designs of fish in front of most Parsi houses’.