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Almond Boi - mithai (sweets) in the shape of a fish. Fish are auspicious to Parsis, and as Nuvroze (Parsi spring festival, commonly called the Parsi New Year) is fast approaching weâre bringing them out to eat with family and friends. Nuvroze is on the spring equinox- March 21st.
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Feminism and Intersectionality
Feminism. In todayâs socio-political atmosphere, itâs a buzzword, interpreted differently on all sides to indicate very different things. Viewed by some, the word âfeministâ brings to mind a woman demanding the world cater to her beliefs, and that she deserves better than everyone else. To others, a feminist is anyone who stands up for the freedom and equality of those around them. These images are very different, with some using the term with scorn and derision, and others proudly proclaiming themselves to fit the label. The word is used so often to describe beliefs and behavior according to an individualâs understanding of it, that itâs hard to discern what the true meaning is anymore. Some think it wise to distance themselves from this controversial word, and some see the practicality of abandoning the f-word entirely. But, taken at its core intentions, feminism is all about the belief in equality between sexes, and based on the fact that society treats women differently than men, and men comparatively have more âprivilegeâ.
Privilege is the term used to describe the advantages certain demographics have due to systemic racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism. White privilege is the fact that there are specific experiences and treatment that white people will never face solely because of their race. That doesnât mean they wonât have those specific struggles- it means if they do have them, it wonât be because of their race. That doesnât mean their life is better than that of a a non-white person, and it in no way is something to feel guilty or ashamed of. It is a tool, one that many wield unknowingly, usually to their advantage.
This tool is utilized in so-called âwhite feminism,â a type of exclusive feminism that people with more privilege practice in order to further their own causes. Famous âWhite feministsâ are the likes of the original American suffragists, champions of first-wave feminism, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They actively used their voices to advocate AGAINST black people gaining the vote in order to further progress towards votes for white women. White feminism can be practiced by people of many different demographics, however. The only requirement is that it must be exclusionary to some group of people, be it POC (people of color), transgender women, sex workers, the LGBT+ community as a whole, or split among borders or political divides. Examples of white feminism include speaking over POC, minorities, and marginalized groups; using their feminist label to defend against being called out on ableism, racism, transphobia, islamophobic, or anti-semitic behavior; tone policing (âYou shouldn't find that offensive, itâs not!â); slut-shaming; ignoring or making excuses for their favorite celebritiesâ behavior; supporting harmful double standards (such as that girls hitting their boyfriends is ok, or that women shouldn't be drafted into the military); but most of all being unwilling to listen, learn or grow.
If itâs feminism for only some, itâs freedom for none. Feminism started as a movement dedicated to bringing womenâs standard of living up to match those of menâs, for true equality. It has evolved a lot since it began, as people began to understand exactly why two people in the same circumstance received unequal treatment from society, when their appearances were the only difference.
Intersectional feminism is a term brought to light by Kimberle Crenshaw, used to describe feminism for all. Itâs described as inclusive, and studies the ways different systems of oppression and discrimination such as classism, racism, sexism, ableism and homophobia intersect. For example, in America, landowning white men have been able to vote since 1789. White landowning Jewish men have been able to vote since 1828. All white men have been able to vote since 1856. All white women have been able to vote since 1920. All Americans âof Asian descentâ have been able to vote since 1952. All Native Americans have been able to vote since 1962. All black women have been able to vote since 1964. Citizens of Americaâs 16 territories (over 4 million people) still donât have the right to vote.
Intersectionality is about understanding what makes people different, and through accepting those differences, bettering the lives of all people, regardless of gender, race, class, nationality, sexuality, religion or any other differences. Intersectional feminism is a movement dedicated to bringing up the standard of living for all, through equality and understanding. And privilege (white and otherwise) can also be used to help the oppressed and downtrodden of the world. The voices that are more likely to be heard should be used to amplify the voices that no one wants to hear. Try to avoid talking over others, and listen, share and learn. Acknowledge your privilege, and use it for good.
Author's Note: The Narrative
Long before the likes of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, one particular religion and faith was prominent in the Middle East: Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest monotheistic faiths, created the molds of the most important religions of our day. Zoroastrians follow the teachings of the prophet Zarathustra, or Zoroaster in Greek (as known in the West). Zoroastrians follow the teachings of Zarathustra through the collection of sacred texts called the Avesta. Zarathustra proclaimed that there is one God, Ahura Mazda, who fends for the force of Good while battling the forces of Evil led by the destructive Angra Mainyu and the daevas. A personâs fate is determined by the choice of which higher power they choose to follow. Zoroastrians believe that there will be a final battle at the end of time when Ahura Mazda will defeat Angra Mainyu once and for all. For humans, the Zoroastrian belief is that they will be judged after death. One must walk across the Bridge of Recompense, over an abyss. For one who has followed the Truth, the bridge will be wide and easy. For once who has followed the Lie, the bridge is as narrow as a razor, and the person will eventually fall into the abyss.
Since the founding of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrians have faced a tumultuous course of history. Zoroastrianism was the official religion for some of the great empires of the Middle East: the Achaemenian, the Parthians, and the Sasanians. During the 7th century, Arabs invaded the lands where the Zoroastrians lived, and by the 10th century, Zoroastrianism faced persecution by Islam. Zoroastrians, called Parsis, fled and many settled in the western region of India, Gujarat where many still live today. Many who follow the belief have urbanized and diversified into a tight-knit community. Zoroastrianism is based on many religious rituals, festivals, and beliefs that still remain strong as the population decreases.Â
Below on the page, all viewers will find various posts on the key features of Zoroastrianism. Each post has been skillfully made to convey the most important concepts of the religion easy to read, understand and follow. The posts are arranged in no particular order. The culmination of various forms of media and texts are for all kinds of readers to enjoy, whether they are visual or audio learners (for tactile learners, unfortunately a blog is not the best way to learn about Zoroastrianism). Hopefully, this page will address all that is important to a Zoroastrian in his or her eyes, and to advocate for all that follows in the path of âGood thoughts, Good words, and Good deeds.â
When the Persian Empire was conquered by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC, much of the Zoroastrian tradition was lost. But later on Zoroastrianism was resurrected as the state religion of the Sassanian Empire and organised with a strong ecclesiastic structure a priesthood, colleges and many temples. The Avestan was compiled into 21 volumes. But only a few copies were made â too few, as it turned out.
During the seventh century Muslim conquests, these few texts were destroyed and Islam became the state religion of Iran, gradually replacing Zoroastrianism throughout the land. Around this time, some Zoroastrians set sail for India where they founded the Parsi (Persian) community in Gujarat. They prospered as farmers and traders while the Iranian community diminished. Modern diaspora
The Parsi community helped build up Mumbai (Bombay), where they came to form a wealthy and well-educated middle class. With the end of British rule in India, some of these Zoroastrians settled abroad and prospered in the cities of England, Canada, Australia and the USA. Zoroastrians now number only about 150,000 worldwide, of whom the majority live in Mumbai. Other notable communities are in Britain and on the west coast of North America.
Ahura Mazda. Ormazd. Creator of Life and Goodness.
NOMENCLATURE: Ahura= âLightâ, Mazda= âWisdomâ
Zoroastrians believe that there is one god, and that is Ahura Mazda, proclaimed and documented by the prophet Zoroaster in the Avesta. Ahura Mazda is the god of goodness, Truth, and creator of life. His opposite is Angra Mainyu, creator of evil. Ahura Mazda is the eternal and uncreated. He is said to have seven heavenly attendants, led by the Holy Spirit, Spenta Mainyu. Zoroaster stated that Ahura Mazda was not an omnipotent God, but would eventually destroy Evil for good at the end of time. He is, however, omniscient.Â
Angra Mainyu. AKA Ahriman. Demon of Darkness and Evil Spirit.
In the theological history of Zoroastrianism, there lies a force that opposes Ahura Mazdaâs good forces. This Evil force is called Angra Mainyu. Legend has it that Angra Mainyu will ultimately perish and the forces of evil will cease to exist. As God created six lesser divinities for Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu, along with the evil daevas, attacked them and creation. This is the eternal battle between good and evil, Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu.  While the heavenly attendants of Ahura Mazda have chosen to follow the Truth, Angra Mainyu and the daevas have chosen to follow the Lie. Zoroastrians teach that there will be a final battle at the end of time. In that final battle, Ahura Mazda will forever defeat Angra Mainyu, saving the world from utter peril. Â
This struggle between cosmic forces of Good and Evil was the original religious dualistic concept that eventually brought about the concept of God vs Satan and the like.
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The Prophet Zarathustra, Zoroaster in Greek. Zoroaster was the one who started the religion Zoroastrianism in Iran. The time that he lived is unknown; some say that he lived either in 1000 B.C.E or the sixth century B.C.E. Zoroaster advocated for the worship of Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom, as the one true god and the various daevas. His sacred collection of writings became The Avesta, or ZEND AVESTA. It contains hymns called the Gathas which are the most sacred part of the Avesta. Some scholars see Zoroaster as a primitive sorcerer, but others see him as a social reformer. Throughout his life, he made converts, the first being Vishtaspa (his first). He taught about the ways of Ahura Mazda and the forces of good and evil battling.Â
Once upon a time, Mother Earth was in trouble. She asked God â Ahura Mazda â if He could send her a prince, with warriors, to stop the people from hurting her, using force. But Ahura Mazda said he could not. Instead he would send Her a holy man, to stop the people from hurting her, using words and inspirational ideas. And thus was born the prophet, Zoroaster.
The Sacred Avesta.
The Avesta is a collection of scriptures and writings written by the Prophet Zarathustra. This is the primary text of Zoroastrianism. The Avesta is revered by Zoroastrians, just as the Bible is revered by Christians, the Torah is revered by the Jewish, the Quran is revered by Muslims. Here, the Prophet Zoroaster wrote hymns, the most sacred being the Gathas. There are many parts and the Avesta is divided into sacred sections. Presently, there is only a small portion of the Avesta still available. Because of the Zoroastrians and their struggle through history, most was lost.Â
The text is called The Avestan, Avesta is the ancient Persian (Iranian) language in which Zoroastrian prayers are composed. It is a dead language, and extremely hard and time-consuming to interpret. It has much in common with the language of Farsi.
A famous photo of a Zoroastrian fire temple in Yazd, Iran. This is the place of worship and prayer for zoroastrians. Fire is the sacred symbol for all: purity, light, strength, and truth. Zoroastrians pray five times a day, facing a source of light such as a flame.Â
Architecture of Iranian Fire Temple. Layout of Zoroastrian prayer space.
In Zoroastrianism, sacred fire is present in temples around the world. The fire is not actually worshipped, but acts as a symbol of Ahura Mazdaâs power and a physical manifestation of good on earth. The most sacred form of fire is only in special temples, Atash Behrams, and is collected from 16 different sources, including lighting.
Zoroastrians regard fire as an embodiment of the Creator Ahura Mazda. It not only reminds them of Ahura Mazda himself, who is described as radiant and lustrous, but it also reminds them of the primal Light from which all spirit, matter and energy were fashioned. The jashan ceremony, which incorporates fire, is the central Zoroastrian form of worship, carried out in their Fire Temples. It is a thanksgiving which recreates the perfect moment of creation when all was in harmony.
In every fire temple, or Agiary, is a special fire. This fire is tended to by our specially trained priests, called Dastoors, and the fire can never be allowed to die. This is extremely important, and applies to all agiarys, and is part of what makes the fire sacred. The longer the flame has been kept burning, the more important and sacred it and its agiary are. Some have been kept alive for thousands of years.
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Zoroastrian children in front of the âguardiansâ of a fire temple in India on the occasion of NoRoz, the Zoroastrian New Year.
Nuvroz is the typical spelling for our New Year, which takes place in March. A fire temple is known as an Agiary. Pronounced NUV-ROSE and UGH-YAR-EE
An important symbol of Zoroastrianism is also a garment called SUDEH and accompanying belt called KUSTI. The sudeh is made of nine seams signifying the birth of the globe. Each of the different seems signify and ideal of Zoroastrianism: burden of sins, honesty, purity of the heart, power of reading thoughts, the purpose of life, the unknown and unseen, salvation, and joy.Â
The shirt is called a Sudrah, not Sudeh. The Kusti is sometimes spelt as Kushti.
NAVJOT
Navjot. The ânew birth.â At the age of 7 for Parsees, and age 10 for Gabars, girls and boys become part of the Zoroastrian community through a ritual, similar to baptism, first holy communion, and confirmation in Catholicism. On this occasion they receive a white garment and sacred thread, or sudeh and kusti, and they wear them for the rest of their lives.Â
The âwhite garmentâ, or sudrah, is a very light shirt meant to be worn under our clothing. It comes in many different shapes, but it always has a small rectangle stitched into the center of the neckline, where it would sit right above the heart. I was taught that this is a symbolic âpocketâ, in which we keep all of our Good Deeds done throughout our lives. The âsacred threadâ, or Kusti, is made of lambs wool and so is very light and fine. It is tied around the waist in a pattern of knots as we say our prayers, every movement in time with the words.
My immediate family is not very religious, and we donât practice our faith with any regularity. Yet, it still holds importance and meaning, especially to me. I donât wear my sudrah and kusti, except on important religious occasions, but I still remember how to tie my kusti. My paternal grandmother is very religious, and whenever she visits from India I listen and watch as she says her prayers and ties her kusti every morning. Itâs calming, soothing and familiar, and in those quiet morning moments I do feel closer to a god I often question the existence of. Mostly, I feel closer to my grandma and my culture, and my roots grow stronger.
A POP of CULTURE #1
British singer/songwriter Freddie Mercury, most famous for being the lead in rock band, Queen, was born into a family of Parsis. His parents practiced Zoroastrianism, as they lived in the Gujarat region of the province of Bombay Presidency in British India.Â
http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Show_Must_Go_On.html?id=lg8HAAAACAAJ
Zoroastrianism Presently: A Dwindling Population...
Once one of the most prominent religions, Zoroastrianism has become less widespread over the past centuries. The first stage of the the population getting smaller and smaller was after the persecution by the Muslims in the 10th century. After, Zoroastrians moved to India and took on the classification of âParsisâ â the people from Pars or Persia. From there, many Zoroastrians moved all across the world. Presently, taken from the New York Times and the Fezana Journal Survey in 2006, there are less than 190,000 followers worldwide.
11,000 live in the United States
6,000 live in Canada
5,000 live in England
2,700 live in Australia
2,220 live in the Persian Gulf Nations
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Zoroastrian population in the worldâ 2006
Faravahar â The Winged Symbol of Zoroastrianism
One of the most symbolic figures of Zoroastrianism, the Faravahar encompasses the many ideologies of the religion. The middle of the symbol shows an older man, which means wisdom, surrounded by a ring meaning eternity having no beginning or end. The man holds one hand upward to symbolize that there is only one way up in life. The other hand carries a ring which is a covenant of loyalty. The two wings on two sides of the symbol have three components to spread âgood thoughts, good words, and good deeds.â The bottom of the figure has another three parts representing âbad reflection, bad words, and bad deeds.â The two loops at the bottom represent the positive and negative forces of the world, the latter pointing away from the direction of the wise manâs head.
The faravahar is a very important symbol. Christians have the cross, Jewish people have the star of david. Our faravahars represent our Fravashis, or Farohars, which are our guardian angels of sorts. I have mine on a necklace that I received at my Navjot when I was a child, and I almost never take it off. Iâve taken it off a handful of times since I turned 12, and I almost feel naked without the weight of it on my collarbone.
