ABLE
PANCH / PANCHAYAT
Ceremonies
& Liturgies :
Liturgy Definition :
A liturgy is a particular arrangement of prayers that priests use
in the performance of their duties, in service of the community,
and in the conduct of ceremonies conducted in a prescribed manner,
setting and time of day. The liturgy is often accompanied by a set
of rituals. The liturgy is also distinguished from the selection
of Avestan verses (mathras or manthras) used as daily prayers or
when performing certain tasks.
Types of Ceremonies :
Zoroastrian ceremonies are primarily of two types: ceremonies of
the outer and inner circles. Ceremonies of the outer circle are
ceremonies that can be performed outside a temple and in some cases
by the laity. Ceremonies of the inner circle are ceremonies that
are always performed within a temple and more specifically inside
the pavi areas of the temple. Pavi areas are the consecrated inner
sanctums demarcated by a groove in the floor and areas where only
ordained priests may enter.
In
addition, there are purification ceremonies conducted to purify
or cleanse a space or person in order to consecrate a space or prepare
a person to partake in a religious ceremony.
Ceremonies of the Outer Circle :
These ceremonies may be performed outside the pavi area (inner sanctum)
of a fire temple. They are therefore either public ceremonies or
ceremonies performed in a home or public place. While, they are
usually conducted by priests, many can be led by competent lay persons.
The
ceremonies performed in homes or public fires often require temporary
fires as part of the ceremony. These fires are the Atash Dadgah
- originally the court fire.
Ceremonies Using the Atash Dadgah :
Ceremonies of the outer circle such as the Afringan and jashan ceremonies
employ the Atash Dadgah, a fire that is lit when required and maintained
for the duration of the ceremony. The Atash Dadgah is consecrated
with a recitation of the Atash Niyaesh as a prelude to the ceremony.
![](jashan.png)
Priest
lighting an Atash Dadgah
The Atash Dadgah is maintained for the duration of the event on
a round metal plate placed on top of an urn. The urn is a scaled
down replica of the urns that hold the Atash Bahram or the Atash
Adaran. Some enterprising priests cover the plate with metal foil
to make clean-up after the event easier. Others cover the metal
plate with a thin layer of ash to simulate the ash that would have
built up in an urn with a continuously burning fire. If sandalwood
is available, small pieces of this wood, or a substitute, are placed
over kindling shavings.
Next
to the urn is an oil lamp called a devo. The priest uses the devo
to set the wood on the urn on fire - and to maintain the fire should
it go out during the ceremony. If the devo is constructed from a
drinking glass filled with oil on which floats a wick, it is called
a glass-na-devo. The attending priest lights the devo using a match.
The priest then lights a thin splinter of wood from the devo to
ignite the fire in the shavings on the urn. Once the kindling shavings
catch fire, the kindling in turn sets the small pieces of wood on
fire. A bed of hot coals in the ashes, helps to maintain the fire.
![](atash_adaran.jpg)
Priest
tending to an Atash Dadgah
Priests wear white as a symbol of cleanliness and light. They cover
their mouths to prevent their breath from reaching the flame. They
also sit on a white sheet spread on the floor.
On
occasion, the priest ladles powdered incense on the fire. The ladle
is called a chamach. The scent of the sandalwood fire and the incense
fill the room and give it a traditional atmosphere.
After
the ceremony, members of the congregation take turns to come up
to the fire, recite a line of prayer, and at times place a small
piece of wood on the fire to keep it burning. Some may place their
fingers on the rim of the urn and draw the energy of the fire up
towards their chests in a sweeping motion. Others may take a pinch
of the ashes and rub it once on to their foreheads with their thumb.
When
the ceremony is finished, the fire is allowed to extinguish itself
and the ashes are disposed.
Priests :
![](yazdiAntia3.jpg)
The Afringan's flower ritual Photos in Jashan and Afringan
for Beginners by Ervad Yazdi Antia, North American Mobeds Council
Currently at Fezana Religious Education
![](yazdiAntia4.jpg)
Payvand
- Connecting via the clasping of hands. Simultaneously, the Rathvi
(Raspi) is in contact with the afarganyu (fire urn) Symbolizing
the unity, synergy & harmony of the spiritual & material
existences Photos in Jashan and Afringan for Beginners by Ervad
Yazdi Antia, North American Mobeds Council Currently at Fezana Religious
Education
![](gahanbarIran.jpg)
Iranian
Priests reciting the Afringan / Afrinameh while holding a sprig
during a gahanbar in Yazd, Iran
The
Afringan ceremony described below and seen in the photographs above
and below, can be performed by one or more priests or competent
lay persons. If there are two priests officiating, the senior officiator,
is called the the Zaoti (or Zoti, cf. Zaotar). The second priest,
called the Rathvi (or Raspi), assists and tends to the fire. The
ritual utensils and items placed on the tray and sofreh represent
the six elements of nature. The priests represents the seventh element,
humankind.
Priests
with a background from India sit facing one another while Iranian
priests sit in a line often in the same line as the people participating
in the ceremony.
Setting and Sofreh :
Customarily, all Zoroastrian religious ceremonies are conducted
on a white linen sheet, called a sofreh, spread on the floor. The
sofreh represents the sacred space during the ceremony. The sofreh
is spread placed over a carpet that is placed in the centre of the
room, with chairs for the participants arranged around the sofreh.
White
is the symbol of cleanliness, purity, and goodness.
The
utensils used in the ceremony are metal. The include the afarganyu
or fire urn, a couple or more metal trays called a sace or ses,
a chamach or ladle for placing wood and incense (loban) on the fire,
and a chipyo or tongs used to move items.
![](yazdiAntia1.jpg)
A jashan/jashne setting and sofreh. Photos in Jashan and
Afringan for Beginners by Ervad Yazdi Antia, North American Mobeds
Council Currently at Fezana Religious Education
![](yazdiAntia2.jpg)
The
jashan sace or ses (tray) Photos in Jashan and Afringan for Beginners
by Ervad Yazdi Antia, North American Mobeds Council Currently at
Fezana Religious Education
Symbolism :
![](sofreh.jpg)
The
setting for an Afringan ceremony (also the Jashan / Jashne) using
the Atash Dadgah
Credit: Adapted from "Zoroastrianism: An Ethnic Perspective"
by Khojeste Mistree as shown on Soli Bamji's site
The jashan / jashne ceremonies of which the Afringan described
below is a part, celebrate the coexistent duality of existence:
the spiritual and material creations.
In
the diagram and images above, the eight flowers can be seen arranged
in the tray or sace that is placed on the sofreh. The two rows represent
the spiritual existence, mainyu / mainyva , and gaetha / gaethya,
material or physical, existences (in later language: menog and getig).
The climactic moment of the ceremony is when the priests pick up
and exchange the flowers with the words "athe zamyat"
symbolizing the interchange or an interaction between the two realms
of existence (for an introduction to the two coexistent realms of
existence, see our Overview page). The exchange of flowers which
are picked up from the top of one row followed by flowers from the
bottom of the other parallel row, also symbolizes the transmigration
of righteous souls, the united fravashis of the righteous between
the two realms.
The
seven aspects of creation and the corresponding Amesha Spentas (divine
attributes) together with spenta mainyu, are represented in the
setting and items used in the ceremony :
•
The floor or ground represents the earth and the Amesha Spenta Armaiti;
• The fire represents the eternal flame, the spiritual fire,
and the Amesha Spenta Asha;
• The priest represents human kind and Spenta Mainyu;
• Milk represents animal life and the Amesha Spenta Vohu Mano;
• The metal in the utensils represents the sky and the Amesha
Spenta Khshathra;
• Water represents water, the environment and the Amesha Spenta
Haurvatat;
• The flowers and fruit represent vegetation and the Amesha
Spenta Amertat.
The
ceremonial tray, the sace, represents as it were, the celestial
sphere and all aspects of creation including the spiritual and physical
realms.
White
is the symbol of cleanliness, purity, and goodness.
Afringan Ceremony :
The Afringan is a ceremony of blessing and remembrance. It is one
of the principal outer or public ceremonies in Zoroastrianism and
is performed during Gahambar / Gahanbar festivals and Jashan / Jashne
ceremonies.
Afringan
is also the name of the fire chalice used during the ceremony. The
full ceremony consists of three sets of prayers :
1. Atash Nyaish and Doa-Nam Satayashne :
The Atash Nyaish is a litany to the fire - prayers said when consecrating
a fire used as part of a ceremony. The Doa-Nam Satayashne (or Stayishn)
are words in praise of God in the Pahlavi language.
2. Dibache, Afringans and Afrins :
Afringans are dedications to God, God's creation, divine attributes
and angels.
![](jashan2.jpg)
Afringan
flower ceremony
An Afringan ceremony is also called a flower ceremony as the flowers
placed in the sace are held up or, if two or more priests are present,
exchanged between the priests during recitation of that part of
the Afringan's humatanam prayer (Y35.2). In Iran, when plants are
not available, a finger is sometimes held up instead. There the
prayers that accompany the holding of the sprigs are called the
Afrinameh. Priests from India generally use flowers - at times roses.
Priests from Iran generally use myrtle (murd), pomegranate or jujube
(red date, or Chinese date) sprigs. The length of the flower or
sprig should be a hand span in length.
According
to Manekji Hataria's (1813-1890 CE) article on the Religious Ritual
Practices of the Iranian Zoroastrians in Zoroastrian Rituals in
Context by Michael Stausberg (see link below), the myrtle sprig
is dipped in a vessel called 'nava' containing water. "When
starting a new karda (section), at the word afrinami / afrinameh,
the priest and everyone present picks up a leaf or flower and raises
a finger of her or his right hand. Then while reciting upto vispo
khatrhem they raise the second finger." The fingers are lowered
when reciting the Yatha Ahu Variyo prayer. This process is repeated
for every karda.
![](afringanPS.jpg)
Flower Order
In a full fledged ceremony, eight plants / flowers are used. The
eight flowers are arranged in one quadrant of the sace in two parallel
rows of three flowers each with the remaining two flowers placed
at the end of each row and facing each row. The symbolism is explained
above. The Persian Rivayats state that five (symbolizing the five
periods or gahs of the day) sprigs / flowers are be used except
"when one Dahman is recited", in which case three sprigs
/ flowers are used.
The
choice of Afringan prayers depends of the occasion and often contain
a Pazend or Persian portion called a dibache or a preface to the
Avestan prayers and a remembrance of the souls of the departed,
including great kings of Zoroastrian history, heroes, priests and
deceased members of the family sponsoring the Jashan. The dibache
is recited in a soft tone. The dibache is recited softly. The Afrin
are Pazand prayers of blessing where the priest or person saying
the prayers seeks to spread the spiritual strength of the ceremony
to all present.
The
Afringan ceremony is explained further in avesta.org's page on the
subject. After the flower ceremony, the priest touches the different
metal vessels with his metal fire-tongs in the four directions of
the compass and then again in the directions in-between the four
compass points.
3. Doa Tandorosti :
These Pazand prayers are the culmination of the prayer ceremony.
The first two steps enable blessings of strength, health, and well-being
to be extended to all present, and indeed all of humankind as well
as the souls of the departed. If the occasion honours particular
individuals, their names are mentioned in the benediction. In Persian,
tan means body and dorost means correct or healthy in this case.
At
the end the prayers, the priest may asks the gathering to stand,
hold hands and join in prayer. This is an act of solidarity and
community. The prayers are usually two ahunavars, and one Ashem
Vohu. A fravarane is sometimes added.
Baj Ceremony :
Baj ceremonies are prayers said before undertaking a task. They
are also prayers said for the dead on the occasion of a death anniversary.
The baj can be recited before eating or drinking when it can be
compared to grace said by Christians.
Dron Ceremony :
The Dron (Pahlavi: yasht-i drôn. Avestan: draonah) is the
Baj ceremony conducted by priests that blesses and gives thanks
for food in a prescribed ritual. Dron is both the name of the ceremony
and the palm-sized unleavened ritual bread made for the ceremony.
The ceremony takes about fifteen minutes to complete and can be
conducted by both priest and laity.
The
ceremony requires the recitation of chapters 3 to 8 of the book
of Yasna.
Ceremonies of the Inner Circle :
The Yasna, Visperad, and Vendidad (Videvdat) ceremonies are ceremonies
of the inner circle and can only be performed within the pavi area
(inner sanctum) of a fire temple.
Yasna Ceremony :
The Yasna ceremony is the highest of the inner circle ceremonies
and requires the recitation of chapters 1 to 72 of the book of Yasna.
The purpose of the Yasna ceremony is to purify the world, strengthen
the bond between the spiritual and physical existences, and to promote
good health. As with all ceremonies of the inner circle, it is performed
in the pavi area (inner sanctum) of a fire temple.
![](paviarea.jpg)
Ritual
implements in a fire temple's pavi area Credit: Kotwal/Boyd in Zoroastrian
Rituals in Context by Michael Stausberg, page 186
![](paviareaDetails.jpg)
Layout
of the pavi area Credit: The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran by E. S.
Drower and Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley, page 235
Yasna
Meaning :
Yasna is commonly taken to mean worship or dedication as well as
being related to the words yaz, yezi (Avestan) and later yazishn
(Middle Persian), words that evolved yet later into ijeshne and
then Jashn / Jashne / Jashan. Given the association of yasna with
jashne, a thanksgiving festival, yasna could very well carry a meaning
similar to celebration such as honouring or venerating.
In
addition, the Avestan yaz is identified with the Sanskrit root word
yaj which has been taken to mean worship or to praise. L. H. Mills
in his The Zend Avesta: The Sacred Books of the East, Part Thirty-one,
Yasna II, page 203, says that the word yas means 'desire to approach'
or 'desire the approach of'.
Yazishn-Khana / Gah :
A yazishn-khana or yazishn-gah, the room or place for the yazishn,
is noted in the Middle Persian Persian Rivayats as being part of
a Dar-e Mehr, a neighbourhood place of worship, and separate from
the atash-khana or atash-gah or , the room or place for the fire.
Time or Gah / Geh of the Ceremony :
The stipulated time for the entire ceremony is during the morning
watch or Hawan gah / geh (In the Avestan languages, Havani ratu,
and also known as Havan-ni-Meher cf. Havan-e Mehr). [Also see our
365-day calendar grid and the section on Divisions of the Day in
our calendar pages.] During the first seven months of the Zoroastrian
calendar, that is, the Rapithwan above ground months, the Havan
gah is the period of the day between sunrise (when the rays of the
rising sun have dispelled the darkness of the night) to noon. For
the last five, cool, Rapithwan below ground months of the Zoroastrian
year, the Havan gah extends from sunrise to 3 pm.
![](ceremony.jpg)
Novice
learning the Yasna ceremony
Preparatory Activities :
Prior to the start of the Yasna ceremony, a priest (often the Rathvi
/ Raspi who will assist the senior Zaoti / Zoti priest) will assemble
the materials required for the ceremony including the plants that
play a central role in the rites. Some traditional temples have
a well and plants such as date palms and pomegranate trees growing
within the premises.
In
those temple grounds that contain growing date palms and pomegranate
(Av. hadanaepata) trees, the priest walks to a date palm with a
pot of consecrated water from the well and a sharp knife. After
selecting a suitable leaf, the priest washes his hand and carefully
cuts the leaf while reciting a manthra. After cutting the leaf,
the priest washes the leaf and his hands, and enters the Yasna-gah
(see below), the Yasna place, within the temple with the leaf. There
he cuts the leaf into three strips and braids the strips into a
cord which he uses to ties the baresma (barsom) bundle symbolizing
the unity and synergy of the plant world. The ritual collection
is repeated for a cutting of a pomegranate twig.
In
addition to the pomegranate twigs, pomegranate leaves, date palm
strips and consecrated water, sprigs of the ephedra twigs as well
as milk (cow's milk in Iran and goat's milk in India) will be used
in the preparation of the haoma (hom) extracts (also see ab-zohr
below).
Ab-Zohr :
The central rite of the Yasna ceremony is the ab-zohr - the preparation
of a liquid extract that is part of the haoma or hom family of healing
methods. Ab-zohr means strength-water in Persian, a name that is
derived from the Avestan ape-zaothra. The Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian)
name for the rite is jor-melavi from the Gujarati, jor / djor meaning
'strength' and melavi meaning 'introduction'.
During
this rite, two liquid preparations called parahom (from para-haoma)
and hom (from haoma) are prepared during different phases of the
Yasna ceremony: the first being the Parayagna or Paragna - the pre-yasna
phase, and the second being during the yasna ceremony itself. The
first preparation is consumed by the senior Zoti priest while a
part of the second preparation is poured into the temple's well
or a nearby stream in a culmination of the ab-zohr rite. Prof. Mary
Boyce translates zaothra as libation - a libation being a liquid
that is poured out during a religious ceremony. The remainder of
the second extract is consumed by the temple's priests and some
of the laity.
Haoma
or hom is also the name given to the principle plant, ephedra, used
to prepare the parahom and hom extracts. It is also the name given
to the entire family of health-giving and healing plants used in
conjunction with the ephedra as well as their extracts.
Parahom
Preparation Implements / Alat :
![](ritualUtensils.jpg)
The
different priestly ceremonial items - the alat
![](priestsaceSm.jpg)
A
selection of priestly ceremonial utensils - alat
The ritual implements used to produce the hom preparation are part
of the priest's ritual implements or alat. They are the mortar (hawan)
and pestle (dastag/abar-hawan/labo) for pounding and extracting
the juice from the plant, a nine-holed strainer (surakhdar tasjta),
and a bowl for holding the parahom.
A
priest who knows how to prepare various kinds of haoma extracts
and their benefit, is called a hawanan.
The
ritual preparation of parahom & hom is described in Mary Boyce's
article: Haoma Ritual at CAIS.
Pre-Yasna Ceremony Parayagna / Paragna :
The prelude to the central rite of the Yasna ceremony is the parayagna
(or paragna), meaning before-yasna (para is Avestan for before and
yagna is the Vedic Sanskrit equivalent, cf. yajna, to yasna.). During
the parayagna, the ceremonial utensils called the alat and other
items used in the Yasna ceremony are consecrated and the plant twigs
whose juice will be extracted are cleaned by a ritual washing and
assembled. The twigs include the barsom twigs (now often replaced
by wire strands), other related plants (urvaram, for instance pomegranate
twigs and leaves) and the aiwiyaonghan / aiwyaonghana, date palm
twigs. The barsom symbolizes the channel through which the material
creation gaetha / gaethya connects with the spiritual realm mainyu
/ mainyva (in later language: menog and getig).
Preparation of Parahom Extract During the Parayagna / Paragna
Ceremony :
The first parahaoma extract is prepared - usually by the Rathvi
/ Raspi priest - as part of a preliminary or preparatory rite to
sanctify the worship and preparation area immediately prior to the
main Yasna service. The materials that are to be pound together
for the first parahom preparation - three small ephedra twigs (sometimes
dried), one pomegranate twigs, some pomegranate leaves and water
- are readied. The Raspi cuts the twigs and leaves (into pieces
small enough that they will fit into the mortar) while reciting
Yasna 25.
Then
the chopped twigs, leaves and a little consecrated water are repeatedly
pounded together during a recitation of Yasna 27. The liquid ground
mixture is poured onto the nine-holed strainer and the strained
liquid is collected below in a designated bowl. The Raspi collects
the twig and leaf residue from the strainer and places the residue
close to the fire so that it may dry completely before the end of
the ceremony.
Preparation of the Hom Extract During the Yasna Ceremony
:
After the preparation of the parahom, the Rathvi / Raspi is joined
by the senior Zaoti / Zoti priest. Following the joining formalities,
the Zoti starts reciting the opening Yasnas including Yasnas 3 to
8, the Sarosh Dron, and Yasnas 9 to 11, the Hom Yasht. At Yasna
11.8, the Raspi pours a few drops of the parahom from one of the
containers onto the barsom bundle and hands the remainder to the
Zoti. At Yasna 11.10, the Zoti consumes the parahom prepared by
the Raspi in three sips.
The
Zoti begins to pound the twigs for the second hom preparation between
Yasna 22 and 28. While the first preparation had been made using
water, milk (cow's milk in Iran and goat's milk in India) is used
for the second pressing. The second mixture brings together the
beneficial properties of plant life, water and animal milk in order
to best promote physical health and healing. Preparing the hom extract
during a ritual recitation of the Yasna, enables the mixture to
promote spiritual health as well.
The
pounding is suspended during Yasnas 29 and 30 and resumed when during
Yasnas 31 and 32, the Zoti pounds the mixture three times, straining
some of the liquid into one of the bowls after each pounding, each
time returning any crushed residue to the mortar. During Yasna 33,
the Zoti pours the last of the mortar's contents over the strainer
and squeezes the fibrous residue so that it yields its last drops.
He removes the fibrous residue from the strainer and places it on
a designated spot beside him on the floor. The Raspi picks up the
residue and places it beside the fire next to the previous residue
from the parahom preparation (in order that this batch may also
dry completely). During recital of Yasna 34, the now empty mortar
is inverted and the milk-dish is placed the mortar's upturned base.
The bowl containing all the squeezed hom extract is set of the top
of the milk-dish in a three-tiered arrangement.
The
recitation of the Yasnas continues and at Yasna 62, the Raspi feeds
the now dried ephedra and pomegranate fibrous residue to the fire.
During
the recitation of the remaining Yasnas, the Zoti removes the hom
extract container from the top of the three-tiered arrangement and
re-rights the upturned mortar. He then pours the extract between
two bowls and the mortar thoroughly mixing all the extract and milk,
and finishes with all three containing the same amount of of the
hom mixture. After the recitation of the final Yasna, 72, both priests
carry the hom mixture in the mortar to the temple's well (or a nearby
stream) and make a libation by pouring small amounts three times
into the well or stream. Small quantities of the remaining hom mixture
are consumed by the temple priests and the remainder is available
for special needs of the laity such as thanksgiving for a newborn
child or administering the last rites to a dying individual. Any
remaining hom juice is poured over the roots of trees, especially
fruit trees.
Visperad Ceremony :
The Visperad ceremony requires the recitation of chapters 1 to 72
of the book of Yasna, and chapters 1 to 24 of the book of Visperad.
The chapters are combined or substituted one for another according
to a formula based on the day and month of the year called the sih
rochak, the thirty days.
The
Visperad is recited as part of the liturgy used to solemnize Gahambars
(seasonal gatherings and feasts) and Nowruz (New Year's Day). The
Visperad is always recited with the Yasna.
Vendidad Ceremony :
The Vendidad ceremony requires the recitation of chapters 1 to 72
of the book of Yasna, chapters 1 to 24 of the book of Visperad and
chapters 1 to 22 of the Vendidad. As with the Visperad ceremony,
the chapters are combined or substituted one for another according
to the sih rochak formula.
Because
of its length and complexity, the Vendidad portions are frequent
read rather than recited from memory.
When
the Vendidad is recited on its own and not accompanied with a ritual,
the ceremony is known as the Vendidad Sadé.
The
Vendidad ceremony is to be performed between nightfall and dawn.
Source
:
heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/
ceremonies/liturgy.htm