Tri-State Zoroastrians Celebrate New Year

March 25, 2008

Author: Hema Easley

Source: The Journal News

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803250370

When Farzeen Patel's mother was alive, she celebrated NauRooz by cooking a special meal and blessing family members by circling a silver tray laden with rice, coconut, chilies and incense, seven times over their heads.

But since her mother's death, and since Patel's busy life as a therapist doesn't allow for elaborate meals and rituals, she and her family go to the Arbab Rustam Guiv Darbe Mehr on Pomona Road to celebrate NauRooz, the Zoroastrian New Year. On NauRooz, Zoroastrians around the world welcome the spring with special prayers, food and the Haftasheen table, which bears fruits, flowers, grains, wine and sweets, among other symbols of the changing season.

Zoroastrianism is one of the smallest and one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. Its central message - think good thoughts; speak good words; and do good deeds - was preached by the prophet Zarathustra, or Zoroaster, as the Greeks called him, at least 2,600 years ago.

Today, its membership is about 140,000 worldwide, with about 70,000 of its adherents living in India, where they are called Parsis, and and 30,000 in Iran. About [25,000] live in North America and smaller numbers are scattered in other parts of the world.