How do Zoroastrians dress?

For example, Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian) women wear the sari (robe) on the right shoulder, not the left. Hindu men frequently wear short coats (angarkha), and the women wear a long scarf, or robe (sari), whereas typical Muslim attire for men and women is a long white cotton shirt (kurtah) and trousers (pāʾijamah).

Why do Zoroastrians wear masks?

In present-day Zoroastrian tradition, the offering is never made directly, but placed in the care of the celebrant priest who, wearing a cloth mask over the nostrils and mouth to prevent pollution from the breath, will then – using a pair of silver tongs – place the offering in the fire.

Do Zoroastrians wear turbans?

Wearing eyeglasses, long cloak, trousers, hat, boots, socks, winding their turbans tightly and neatly, carrying watches or rings, were all forbidden to Zoroastrians.

Can Zoroastrians marry outside their religion?

Many Parsis who marry outside the faith face some family pressure and community scorn. However, under the laws that currently govern Mumbai's Parsis, Zoroastrianism is inherited through fathers. Parsi men who marry out can include their children in Zoroastrian rituals and in population counts, but women cannot.

Can Zoroastrians marry?

Zoroastrian weddings are a religious ceremony in Zoroastrianism in which two individuals, a man and a woman are united. In Zoroastrianism, marriage within the community is encouraged, and is greatly favored in religious texts.

The youngest female Zoroastrian priestess in Iran

Does Zoroastrianism promote incest?

Zoroastrian religious tracts actively encourage nuclear family incest and extol its meritorious nature and supernatural benefits.

Do Parsis marry their cousins?

Parsis have long intermarried within the community, with first and second cousins marrying each other, resulting in diseased children.

Can I marry a Parsi girl?

Unlike personal laws, which allow only a Hindu to marry another Hindu or a Muslim to marry a Muslim or a Parsi to marry a Parsi, the Special Marriages Act, 1954, allows people of different faiths to marry without giving up their religion.

How do Zoroastrians get married?

There are two stages to a Zoroastrian wedding, whether Parsi or Persian. In the first stage the bride and bridegroom, as well as their guardians sign a marriage contract. The second stage is the service followed by feasts and the celebrations, which traditionally last from 3 to 7 days.

What is the symbol of Zoroastrianism?

The Faravahar is an ancient symbol of the Zoroastrian faith. It depicts a bearded man with one hand reaching forward. He stands above a pair of wings that are outstretched from a circle representing eternity.

Can Zoroastrians drink alcohol?

Only members of religious minorities – Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians – are allowed to brew, distil, ferment and drink, in their homes, and trade in liquor is forbidden. Catholic priests make their own wine for Mass. Yet wine-making has a long history in Iran.

Why do Zoroastrians wear hats?

According to Zoroastrian belief, covering the head offers protection from evil spirits. Hence wearing caps, especially at religious and certain social functions was considered important.

What is the motto of Zoroastrianism?

The motto of Zoroastrianism is "Good thoughts, good words, good deeds".

What religion believes in fire?

In Zoroastrianism, fire is considered to be an agent of purity and as a symbol of righteousness and truth. In the present day this is explained to be because fire burns ever-upward and cannot itself be polluted.

What does fire symbolize in Zoroastrian worship?

Fire is seen as the supreme symbol of purity, and sacred fires are maintained in Fire Temples (Agiaries). These fires represent the light of God (Ahura Mazda) as well as the illuminated mind, and are never extinguished. No Zoroastrian ritual or ceremony is performed without the presence of a sacred fire.

Can non Parsi enter Fire Temple?

No non-Parsi is allowed to enter the Fire Temple.

Can Zoroastrians marry non Zoroastrians?

In Zoroastrianism, mixed marriages are frowned upon. Not only that, but the rules are different for men and women. A Zoroastrian man who marries a non-Zoroastrian woman can at least ensure that his children are raised in the faith. But the same is not the case for a Zoroastrian woman who marries a non-Zoroastrian man.

Why Parsi do not marry?

Some of the prominent issues that fueled the problems of late marriages. Youngsters living in their forefather's glory and not taking any initiative, not willing to compromise, break down of traditional family set up, intolerance and girls being more ambitious were some examples.

What is freedom of choice in Zoroastrianism?

[1] His freedom, such of it as exists, is entirely vocational. Freedom is a response to an invitation to be taken out of oneself. To be free is to be creative. The individual cannot transcend himself from within; he can only be taken out of himself by another. This other in Zoroastrianism, is Vohuman.

Why are Parsi so rich?

After centuries of rural facelessness, the Parsis flowered under British rule. Their philanthropy came to be as fabled as their fortunes, many made from the opium "trade" with China. Apart from spacious community housing, wealthy families endowed scholarships, hospitals and fire temples.

What language do Parsi speak?

Language and religion

Parsis are commonly seen speaking either Gujarati or English. But their native language is Avestan. Zoroastrianism was founded by Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran about 3,500 years ago. The Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism.

Does Parsis speak Persian?

Parsi, an alternative spelling of Farsi, the Persian language. Parsi, the variety spoken by the Parsis of Gujarat and Maharashtra in India. It is taken to be a separate language by Ethnologue and assigned the ISO 639-3 code [prp].

How can I become a Zoroastrian?

They generally do not allow conversion to the faith and, as such, for someone to be a Zoroastrian they must be born of Zoroastrian parents. Some traditionalists recognize the children of mixed marriages as Zoroastrians, though usually only if the father is a born Zoroastrian.

Are Parsis inbred?

Parsi men were likely to have intermingled with and married Indian women after they first arrived on the Gujarat coast in the subcontinent from Iran following the emergence of Islam in that area in the 7th century AD. Strict inbreeding is often blamed for the dwindling population of the Parsi community in India.