Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
On November 29, 2005 The Sydney Morning Herald reported, "The bride wore a delicate sari made of white Indian silk, the groom the ceremonial dress of the dagli or overcoat, also in white. As per the rites of their ancient religion, one of Australia's smallest, a white sheet, a curtain of separation, hung between them as they sat while two priests passed twine around them seven times in a gesture that indicated unbroken unity. When the curtain fell, however, the couple dispensed with tradition, sealing their marriage with a kiss before showering each other with rice, the symbol of plenty and prosperity. The newly married couple, Zubin Appoo and Rakhshandeh Hira, are Parsis, the ethnic group that practises Zoroastrianism, the pre-Christian faith founded in what is now Iran by the Bronze Age prophet Zarathustra. Zoroastrianism spread to India when followers fled Arab invaders in the seventh century and is one of the oldest monotheistic religions. These days it is in numerical decline, not least because some followers are finding love outside the faith. Traditional Zoroastrians believe that religion and ethnicity are inseparable and that one must be born and married in the faith. There are fewer than 1800 adherents in Australia, so the marriage of Zubin and Rakhshandeh in the Annangrove prayer hall at the weekend was a much celebrated event."