New Year's Day and the importance of light in Zoroastrianism:
Zoroastrian rituals are conducted before a sacred fire. Some outsiders believe that
they actually worship fire. This is not true. They regard fire as a symbol
of their God, and they cherish the light that it produces. Light is seen as
energy, a natural force that is powerful and necessary for survival.
Hannah M.G. Shapero "...a visual artist deeply devoted to Zoroastrian
scholarly studies" writes:
"Noruz is the Iranian New Year, which is celebrated each year at the
Spring Equinox, around March 21. It is the most important holiday in the
Zoroastrian calendar, and brings with it a wealth of symbolism, history,
myth, and joyous festivities. There are many layers of meaning to Noruz:
astronomical, mythical, historical, ritual, and spiritual."
"The word Noruz, in Persian, means "New Day," and the primal origin of the
festival is in the universal rhythms of Earth and nature. In the "temperate"
zones of the Northern Hemisphere, including Iran, the spring equinox signals
the beginning of warmer weather and the growing season. In ancient Iran, it
was the time to begin plowing fields and sowing seeds for crops. The equinox
also marks the moment when, in the twenty-four hour round of the day,
daylight begins to be longer than night."
"From its earliest origins Zoroastrianism has honored these natural rhythms
and cycles, both with agricultural festivals and with cosmic commemorations
of yearly astronomical events. The world, fashioned by the Wise Lord, shows
forth the divine in all aspects of nature, and that divine Immanence is
honored in festivals like Noruz, in which divine symbolism is joined with a
celebration of the renewal of the earth in spring."
"In Zoroastrianism, light is the great symbol of God and Goodness, whether
in the light of the sun or in the sacred fire. The Spring Equinox and the
lengthening of the days is thus a symbol of the victory of Light over the
cold and darkness of winter." 1
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Amazon.com's online bookstore lists the following books on Zoroastrianism:
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Information sources:
Farhand Mehr, "The Zoroastrian Tradition", Element Books, (1991)
Duchesne-Guilemin (translated by Henning), "Wisdom of the East"
C.E.
Tuttle (1992)
The Stanford University Zoroastrian Group maintains a home page with a
large collection of links at:
http://www.mit.edu/afs/athena/
The Zoroastrian Association of Shiraz promotes the
Zoroastrian religion, teachings and culture to the world at: http://shiraz.freeservers.com/
The Ancient Iranian Cultural & Religious Research &
Development Center maintains a Canadian web site to promote the
teachings of Zarathushtra. See: http://www.ancientiran.com
