Welcome to Spring
Between the 8th and 10the centuries, a small group of Zoroastrians sought refuge on the shores of India. They came from a province called Pars in Iran and therefore came to be known as Parsis (meaning people from Pars).
The most popular myth in the Qissa-e-Sanjaan, an epic poem, is that when the Parsi came seeking asylum in India, the Indian ruler in Gujarat, Jadi Rana, sent back a glass of milk filled to the brim. His message was that his kingdom was full and could accommodate no more. The Zoroastrian immigrants stirred sugar into the milk without spilling a drop and returned it to Jadi Rana to indicate that would assimilate with the local society and make it sweeter.
The Parsis are amongst the smallest ethnic minorities in the world and have flourished as a community in India, for over 10 centuries.
Navroz or Nowruz or Parsi New Year has its origins in the Iranian and Indian tradition of celebrating the season of regeneration. ‘Nav’ means ‘new’ and ‘roz’ means ‘day’. The day corresponds to the equinox and is celebrated on March 21. Jamshed-e-Navroz, named after the Persian king Jamshed, marks the first day of the Zoroastrian year. A second Nowruz occurs in July/August which is celebrated after the last day of the year, following a ‘Muktad’ period dedicated to remembering the dead.