Indian culture has many unique religious traditions that vary across states and towns. Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions founded by Zoroaster in Iran in the 6th century BCE. It is based on a dualism of good and evil. Parsis are Zoroastrians who migrated to India to escape religious persecution. They worship in fire temples and believe fire represents light. They neither cremate nor bury their dead but leave bodies in towers of silence. Their population is declining due to low birth rates and migration.

1. INDIAN
CULTURE,
RELIGIOUS
TRADITIONS AND
CUSTOMS
FC Project
ABSTRACT
Indian culture is one of the oldest and most
unique cultures known across the globe. It has
various kinds of traditional values, religion, dance,
festivals, music, and cloth, which varies from
each state or town even.
Ritika Rathod
FY BMS-B; Roll no: 255

3. Zoroastrianism
oroastrianism is one of the oldest religions in the history of mankind. The foundation of
the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism was laid by the teachings and wisdom of the spiritual
leader and reformist Zoroaster (also known as Zarathushtra) in the 6th century BCE in
modern-day Iran. It is based on a dualistic cosmology of good and evil. The Parsis, whose name
means “Persians,” are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid
religious persecution by Muslims. They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages
mostly to the north of Mumbai, but also at Karachi (Pakistan) and Bengaluru (Karnataka, India).
Although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste, since they are not Hindus, they form a well-
defined community.
Z

4. Let us know more about this amazing religion in detail:
Greeting:
A Greeting is a traditional way of expressing good wishes and wishing well the people we meet.
It differs across all cultures in the world.
The general traditional Zoroastrian greeting since the past couple
of centuries is Yazdaan Panaah Baad which means “May God
Protect you”. It is acknowledged by a return greeting Der zi o
shaad baad which means “May you have a long and happy life.
In recent times, some Zoroastrians greet each other with the phrase
Khshnaothra ahurahe mazdaao which means “May we make
Ahura Mazda happy.”
In Parsi Gujarati the general greeting is Saheb-ji which may be
interpreted as “I salute the God (Saheb) in you, may you have a long life (ji).”
Religious Customs
The Parsis believe in the existence of one invisible God. They
believe that there is a continuous war between the good forces
(forces of light) and the evil forces (forces of darkness). The good
forces will win if people will do good deeds think good and speak
well. Avesta, also called Zend-avesta, is the sacred book
of Zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the
teachings of the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster). The holy
language of the Parsis is an ancient language spoken in Iran,
Avesta.

5. The Parsis worship in fire temples. God is represented in their temples
through fire, which symbolizes light. Fire is of very special significance to
the Zoroastrians. It gives light, warmth and energy to the other six creations,
and so creates life. The Atash Behram or the Holy Fire is the most important
and the most sacred fire. There are eight Atash Behrams, or Victorious
Fires in India. Four in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in the State
of Maharashtra - four in the State of Gujarat, two in Surat, and the
remaining in Udwada and Navsari. The Iranshah Atash Behram at Udwada is the oldest [720
AD] – the original fire brought by the fleeing Parsis from Iran and consecrated shortly after their
arrival at Sanjan, India. The village of Udwada is hence considered as a centre of pilgrimage
by the Parsis and is visited by thousands every year.
The Parsis believe that fire, water, air and earth are pure element to be preserved and therefore
they do not cremate or bury their dead ones but leave them on in Dakhma or the 'Towers of
Silence', specially built for this purpose, to be eaten by hawks and crows.
Entrance-Iranish Atash Behram, Udvada

6. Parsis ritually do not leave the head uncovered and do not smoke. But there are no caste
divisions, no religious restrictions about food. The Parsis have remained faithful to their
Zoroastrian faith and are proud of their racial purity. In Zoroastrianism, it is encouraged to lead a
good and prosperous life and hence monasticism, celibacy, fasting and the mortification of the
body are anathema to the faith; such practices are seen to weaken man and thereby lessen his
power to fight evil. The prophet saw pessimism and despair as sins, in fact as yielding to evil. In
his teachings, man is encouraged to lead an active, industrious, honest and above all, a happy and
charitable life.
Festivals
The Parsi Community in India celebrates the Parsi New Year also known as Navroz. While the
rest of the world celebrates the day in March, in India, Parsis observe the new beginning in
August. The term Navroz is from the Persian language
meaning ‘new day’. Navroz holds historical, religious and
cultural significance to Parsis worldwide and has been
celebrated for centuries. On the day of Navroz, people from
the community celebrate the occasion by decorating their
homes, sporting traditional attire, and feasting on
traditionally cooked meals with family and friends.
Pateti festival is commemorated on the last day of the year as
per the Persian calendar. This celebration marks the fresh and
pure start of the new year while destroying all the misdeeds of
the previous year in front of holy fire. After this ritual,
everybody wishes each other 'Pateti Mubarak.'
Parsi is one of the closed communities who do not spill over the
streets for their celebrations. Most of their festivals are observed within their homes, temples,
and community centers. Even special events of life like birth, marriage, education, death is
marked with elaborate rituals in Parsis.

7. Family Structure and Marriage
Indian Zoroastrian (Parsi) weddings are called a lagan in the Gujarati vernacular. Indian
Zoroastrian weddings and pre-wedding festivities can be quite elaborate, and regardless of size,
they are joyous and fun-filled occasions. The rituals, ceremonies and festivities related to a
wedding start as soon as a couple decide they want to marry. There is a trend for Indian
Zoroastrians to marry in their twenties and sometimes even later. This is because Zoroastrians by
and large wait until they have graduated from university and have settled in a profession. While
in the past, families played a significant role in introducing prospective partners from within the
community, nowadays, Zoroastrians for the main part find their own partners. In the west, these
partners are often individuals from other communities.
In Parsi families, attaining a good education and then focusing on your career is seen as being
more important than getting married and having children. On top of that, Parsis have a closer
affiliation with western culture than other Indian communities due to their exposure to those
customs during British rule. Be it their choice of fashion, music or their views on starting
families, there are certain similarities between them and those found in the west. So, marrying
late, or simply not feeling pressured to have children are reasons why some Parsis don’t have
children.

8. Did You Know?
You must have heard of Parsi surnames like Batliwala, Gheewala, Daaruwala.
They are unusual and funny, just like the quirky community known for its
immense contributions to the city.
But these surnames have a story behind it. During the British rule, to be able
to identify and track people, the Britishers demanded a list of Indian family
names. So, most families decided to adopt their profession as their family
name as all the men of a family would be in the same trade. Those who dealt
with bottles were Batliwala, those into medicine industry were Daaruwala,
daaru being a term used for medicines. Some of the surnames are also a
result of the location that they hailed from like Taraporewala, Kalyaniwalla,
Thanewalla and some indicate the fondness for a particular food like
Akhrotwala, Badamwala, and Kajuwala.
Some even hold a record of having the longest Parsi surnames like
SodaBottleOpenerWala, which is 20 alphabets and is currently a popular
restaurant chain in India. As Shakespeare’s saying goes, “what’s in a name?”
well now you know! So, the next time you meet a Parsi after you exchange
names, maybe you can skip the “what do you do?” question.

9. Cuisine and Food
Parsi food is delightfully rich in variety and taste. Parsi cuisine comprises several delectable
vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes and some lovely desserts. It is also considered one of the
world’s oldest and most sought-after cuisines. Parsi cooking uses premium ingredients like
saffron and cinnamon, giving it its unique taste. The Iranian fare includes mutton, chicken, stew,
seafood, and dry fruits. The most famous Parsi dishes are Mawa cake, Bun maska, Berry
pulao, and Keema pav. These items have become inextricably linked with the Indian palate, and
a new Indian Parsi cuisine has evolved. One indispensable item to most Parsis is fish. Also, they
love the tanginess of tomatoes and the sweetness of jaggery in their food. Moreover, vegetables
are also an essential part of their food.
Traditional Clothing
The most distinct outfit in the traditional Parsi wear is
the Gara saree, which is known for its exquisite
embroidery. A Parsi Gara sari is worn by a girl after the
Sari Perawani or the saree wearing ceremony, which is
a rite of passage. Parsi women wear the sari (robe) on
the right shoulder, not the left. For males, indoor
costume consists of a muslin shirt, a pair of loose white
cotton trousers, a cotton waistcoat with sleeves, a skull
cap and slippers. For outdoor wear, a loan coat is
added, and in addition to cap, a hat or turban is worn.

10. Epics and Mythology
There are, of course, many other famous stories from Persian mythology – the Rustum tales alone are epic,
and the Shahnameh weaves these with others in 50,000 rhymed couplets, making it longer and more
thematically complex than other famous works like The Epic of Gilgamesh or Homer's Iliad – which
explore and expand upon the theme of good vs. evil and order triumphing over chaos. The long tradition of
telling these tales attests to the popularity of their rich imagery and dramatic tension as they were repeated
orally for centuries before they found written form.
The Avesta was only finally written down during the reign of Shapur II (309-379 CE) and
codified/revised under Kosrau I (r. 531-579 CE) of the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE), while
the Shahnameh was only completed at the beginning of the 11th century CE. Even so, the oral
tradition of the Persians is thought to have influenced the religious systems of other cultures
many centuries earlier. Persian mythological motifs are evident in aspects of Vedic,
Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek religious systems and, through later development by
Zoroastrian thinkers, would come to influence significant aspects of Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam, among others; suggesting Persian mythological thought as foundational to religious belief
worldwide in the modern era.
Sohrab and Rustom-The Tragic Story The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Shahnameh

11. Languages
The native language of Zoroastrianism religion is Avestan. When the
Parsis first moved to India, they settled in the land that Jadi Rana, one of
the local rulers in the region, had provided them. Jadi Rana gave the
Parsis several conditions for living in his territory and one of the
requirements was that they had to learn the Gujarati language. The Parsis soon learned Gujarati
to appease Jadi Rana and to enable them to communicate with the Indian communities around
them. In the modern era, Gujarati is one of the most widely spoken languages among the Parsi
community. Another language spoken by a significant number of Parsis is English which was
probably first introduced to them during the colonial era. In the modern age, English is
significant to the Parsi since it is an international language that enables them to communicate
with a vast portion of the World's population.
arsis are an integral part of our society but still less in number, and in coming years they
might completely vanish from our land. The reasons for this are their lower birth rate than
death rate, lower fertility rate in females, migration, and all these interconnected with
their choice of priorities. Parsis are said to have a firm
mindset that prefers careers to families. They rightly seek
to have a prosperous and opulent life and during that
course they ignore mingling with other people socially.
For them being educated and rich becomes more
important than having a child and a family.
Nevertheless, the Parsi community is an indispensable part of our society, and we need to
emphasize on their diminishing population so that they can secure their presence. Focusing on this,
the Government has launched many schemes. Bombay
Panchayat and UNESCO have also initiated the Parzor
Project for saving the Parsi Community. Jiyo Parsi, on the
other hand, is a Governmental scheme launched in 2013-
2014 by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. It calls for the
P

12. enhancement of the Parsis as a community and for this the Government would provide financial
help, medical assistance and also focus on advocacy/outreach programmes to generate awareness
among the Parsi population for lineage inflation. It has been divided in two parts —Advocacy and
Medical Assistance for Reproduction. Advocacy aims to work upon family planning and asking
people to choose partners and have children at the right age and time. The other section looks after
the health of women and provides financial help for infertility treatments and counselling to Parsi
couples after their fertility problems are medically detected.
Today, Parsis such as the Tata, Godrej and Wadia families are among India's top corporate
dynasties. Several prominent Parsis played an important role in the country's freedom struggle,
and there are a number of well-known Parsi scientists and artists that have become world-famous.
Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of Queen, came from an Indian Parsi family and Zubin
Mehta, the world-famous conductor of Western classical music, was also born a Parsi.
Ratan Tata
Homi BhaBha
Ardheshir Godrej
Freddie
Mercury
B P Wadia
Cyrus Poonawala

13. Bibliography
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Avesta-Zoroastrian-scripture
https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/parsi-community-greet-each-other-on-the-
occasion-of-navroz-at-the-tardeo-agiary--19228199
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-language-do-parsis-speak.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nation-world/navroz-here-are-a-few-interesting-facts-about-
the-parsi-community/dwindling-numbers/slideshow/60102872.cms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x3iE0-RhWM
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2015/sunday-edition/the-parsi-way-of-life.html
https://www.scrolldroll.com/most-famous-parsis-of-india/
https://zagny.org/parsi-ceremonies-rituals/