Parsi new year Navroz being celebrated in different parts of the country.

• The Parsi New Year is also known as Navroz or Nowroz and the word means a ‘new day’.
• While in various places the event is celebrated in March, in India, the Parsi community celebrates it in August. This time, the Parsi New Year falls on August 16.
• In India, the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat have a sizeable Parsi population and the celebrations are typically seen here.

History:

• According to many scholars, the origin of the Parsi New Year lies between 3,500 and 3,000 BCE. During this period, Prophet Zarathustra established Zoroastrianism in what is present-day Iran.
• For followers of Zoroastrian philosophy, this day represents the time when everything in the universe is renewed.
• Jamshed, a monarch of the ancient Sasanian empire, is credited with introducing the Parsi calendar. Jamshed-i-Nouroz is another name for the holiday.

Significance:

• Parsi New Year is celebrated on the first day of the first month of Farvardin in the Zoroastrian calendar.
• Spring Equinox, which occurs annually on March 21, symbolises the beginning of the season.
• The Parsis in India celebrate this day in July or August because they follow the Zoroastrian calendar for religious occasions.
• The holiday, which has its roots in Persia (now Iran, post-Islamic conquest), is celebrated with zest and vigour in India.