SACE
/ SES
![](sace.jpg)
Sace
Description
& Purpose :
A
sace (or sas)
A sace or ses is a tray that holds various ceremonial utensils and
items that will be used during a Zoroastrian ceremony or that have
symbolic importance. The utensils and items placed on the sace will
depend on the occasion.
![](priestsace.jpg)
Priestly
ceremonial utensils
The utensils employed by the laity and by priests are different.
The sace and the items used by the laity are usually smaller and
more delicate while the ceremonial implements employed by priests
are more sturdy and functional. We will describe the sace used by
the laity in this page.
Use
:
It is our impression that the ceremonial sace shown in the banner
image above is mainly used by Zoroastrians with origins in India
rather than Zoroastrians with origins in Iran.
The
Zoroastrians of Iran may however, employ a simple version of the
sace similar to the priestly ceremonial tray shown above left. The
tray may contain some of the following: an afarganyu or afargani
- a portable an urn or censer for a wood fire, perhaps some wood
and incense for the fire, a rose-water holder, mirror, a cone of
sugar, a pomegranate and any other items the user may wish to add.
Iranian Zoroastrians often place all the articles and items used
in a ceremony on a sheet spread (sofreh) on the floor or on a table.
For
the Zoroastrians from India, the sace is an integral part of the
navjote (initiation), jashan (thanksgiving) and marriage ceremonies
as well as the achu michu ritual that is often a part of these ceremonies.
It is also used for a variant of the jashan ceremony when welcoming
a special guest to one's home or if a newborn enters a family member's
house for the first time. The sace is also used during festivals
such as Nowruz, when it is placed on the Nowruz table.
When
not being used ceremonially, a sace is sometimes used to form a
home altar.
Construction :
A sace consists of a circular rimmed metallic tray and matching
accessories made from stainless steel, EPNS (German silver) or silver.
The
accessories are placed on the tray. The sace and its accessories
can be plain in design or can be exquisitely crafted often forming
part of a family heirloom.
Symbolism - Amesha Spentas :
As far as possible, it is desirable to represent all seven elements
of creation which in turn represent Spenta Mainyu and the six Amesha
Spentas (archangels who are the guardians of creation).
The
seven elements are represented as follows :
• The practitioner represents Spenta Mainyu;
• Milk, yoghurt or items made with dairy products represents
animal life and the Amesha Spenta Vohu Mano;
• Fire represents the eternal flame, the spiritual fire, and
the Amesha Spenta Asha;
• The metal in the utensils represents the sky and the Amesha
Spenta Khshathra;
• The home or venue represents the earth and the Amesha Spenta
Armaiti;
• Water represents water, the environment and the Amesha Spenta
Haurvatat, and
• Flowers and fruit represent vegetation and the Amesha Spenta
Amertat.
Components
& Accessories :
![](item_names.jpg)
A sace and its components
The components and accessories can include :
• Sace - the high rimmed circular metal tray large enough
to hold the accessories and ritual items.
• Afarganyu or afargani - an urn or censer for a wood fire
that is part of the ensemble and which is often placed outside the
tray for reasons of space. Some practitioners start the fire with
charcoal which form a bed of glowing coals on which are placed slivers
and short pieces of wood.
•
Devo or oil lamp.
• Gulabaz (also called and spelt golabus), a container with
a long neck for rose water. It is important that the material from
which the gulabaz is made does not react and change its colour or
the colour of the rose water.
• Pigani a metal container containing vermillion, or kunkun
powder, that is made into a paste with the addition of water. The
paste is placed on the forehead as a tila mark.
• Soparo (or paro or sopara), a cone symbolising a mountain
of sweetness, made to hold rock-sugar (khadi sakar) or flat sugar
rounds called patasa, or for that matter, any item that consists
predominantly of sugar. However, nowadays, the soparo is often left
empty and its presence on the sace is symbolic.
In
a post on the internet, Shirin J. Mistry (Shirinmai) remarked, "...we
dip sugar lumps... into curds and then place into the mouth of the
ones being welcomed in (a home or to a ceremony). If a baby visiting
your home for the first time, then the Mum gets to eat the goodies."
Green
covered ghand / sugarloaf
• The soparo may be a development of the Iranian Kaleh Ghand,
a cone of sugar loaf (or maybe even rock sugar) wrapped in foil.
Rather than being a ritual item on a tray, the Ghand is sometimes
given to a person or persons who are the object of a ceremony. The
colour of the foil is either green, or green and gold. A farohar
motif is sometimes added.
• Selected items from the sace list below. The items on the
sace will vary from home to home and on the occasion.
[In a home altar, an afarganyu or fire chalice can be placed beside
the sace, sitting on its own tray.]
If
the sace is used for the achu michu ritual, the accessories are
usually containers for the items that will be used in the ritual.
Once again, the items vary widely depending on the preferences of
the person performing the ritual, the availability of the items,
the size of the tray and the weight of the ensemble - since the
tray is carried, often by an assistant. If no assistant is available,
the tray and its contents are placed on a table beside the person
performing the ritual.
![](kutli.jpg)
Kutli
Items :
Depending on the occasion and the symbolism desired, the items on
the tray and their containers (usually metal, sometimes glass) can
include :
•
Wood : any bone dry wood that burns well without
excessive smoke. Sandalwood, called sukhar, was the traditional
wood used by Indian Zoroastrians. In Central Asia, Juniper and Plane
(Chenar) wood are options. Also see our page on Fire.
• Loban or frankincense. On occasion, loban
is sprinkled on the burning wood in order to impart a fragrance
with when combined with burning sandalwood can produce a particularly
aromatic and soothing. The aroma and smoke are also reputed to have
disinfectant properties. Indian Zoroastrians have a tradition called
'loban feravu', meaning 'taking around the loban'. Here, the practitioner
walks around the house holding a portable afarganyu with a small
wood fire to which loban has been added. The orthodox will perform
this ritual once or twice a day.
• Water contained in a a kutli, a metallic
mug that narrows and then flares on the top to a circular rim that
has no spout (symbolizing purity, sanctity and perfection).
• An egg (symbolizing life-giving force).
• A coconut (symbolizing inner and outer
worlds).
• Raw, dry rice grains in a small metal container
(symbolizing abundance).
• Dried dates called kharak
in a container (symbolizing resilience).
• Large (bite size) sugar crystals called
sakar (khadi sakar) in a glass or container or
assorted candy (symbolizing sweetness). Items made from sugar are
usually used on happy occasions.
• Other forms of sugar: candy or the traditional patasa
(also spelt batasa or batasha) - sugar rounds. (see recipe
below.)
(Patasa
are not to be confused with a biscuit/cookie popular with Indian
Parsi and Irani Zoroastrians. Indian Zoroastrian distinguish between
the two by calling the sugar round a patasa and the biscuit a batasa.
Click for a batasa biscuit recipe.)
• Rose petals (spread on the tray and symbolizing
happiness).
• Unshelled almonds (symbolizing virtue and
honesty).
• Vermilion (symbolizing the receptacle of
holiness).
• Pomegranate (symbolizing immortality).
• Pistachio nuts (symbolizing firmness).
• Silver and gold coins (symbolizing wealth).
• Garland of flowers, a toran,
of white and red flowers, with marigolds and mango leaves interspaced
(symbolizing joy).
![](paanSupari.jpg)
Paan leaves and split supari (inset-right)
• Betel nut or supari. (symbolizing
strength) [The betel nut is the fruit of a tall and slender palm,
Areca catechu Linnaeus, native to southeast Asia. The betel nut
is a stimulant like coffee, and the stimulant compound the nut contains
is arecoline, an alkaloid. Powdered betel nut administered in a
syrup is a recognized treatment to rid the intestines of tape worms.
Regular chewing of the betel nut is a known cause of oral cancer.
The use of the betel nut and leaf in Zoroastrian rituals are entirely
borrowed from Indian customs and are not part of Iranian or Central
Asian traditions.]
• Paan leaves. (symbolizing suppleness) [While
the leaf is also called a betel leaf, it comes a different species
of plant from the betel nut. The betel leaf plant is not a palm
or a member of the areca family. Rather, it is a member of the piper
(pepper) family.]
• Any green leaves (symbolizing nourishment).
Patasa
Recipe :
Ingredients :
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. almond flavouring (optional)
2 cups flour
Method
:
Preheat an oven to 3500F. Stir the ingredients together and drop
from spoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Source
:
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/
zoroastrianism/ceremonies/sace.htm