From Farvardgan to the pilgrimage to the tombs: the tradition of honoring the spirits of the deceased during Navruz
Author(s)
Title
From Farvardgan to the pilgrimage to the tombs: the tradition of honoring the spirits of the deceased during Navruz
Alternative Title
Аз Фарвардгон то сайри мазорҳо: суннати гиромидошти арвоҳи гузаштагон дар Наврӯз
Publication Type
Language
tgk
Number of Pages
10
Location
Tajikistan
Keywords
Navruz
Ritual
Beliefs
Spring
Mausoleums
Navruz
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
Description
Navruz is the most ancient and blessed holiday in the world. That is the messenger of the rebirth of nature, the herald of the best human values and ideas, uniting people, the harmony of humans and nature, the beginning of agricultural and gardening works, etc.
One of the ancient written sources is the holy book of the Zoroastrians, the Avesta, in which the term and descriptions of Navruz are never mentioned. But this book talks about Farvardgon—a spring rite that the Zoroastrians arranged in honor of the return of the fravashi (furuhar in Pahlavi scripts)—guardian angels of the ancestors. The ancient Persians in the last five days of the month of Isfand, that is, before Navruz, covered the symbolic tablecloth with different food and lit the lights.
This tradition has come down to us. The remnants of Farvardgan can be seen in the example of the New Year's tradition—Sarisali, which is held in the city of Khujand on March 7. On that day, pilaf is cooked in the houses, and in the evening, they are sent to the neighbors' houses. From other houses, they also put cooked stew on a plate and bring it back. The next day, tablecloths are laid in the houses, neighbors or friends, and relatives will come to visit and read prayers and surahs of the Koran and dedicate them to the spirits of the dead.
One of the preserved traditions of the veneration of furuhars in the period of Navruz is the festive picnics close to mazars and mausoleums of sacred persons, which continues to this day. People in some Tajik regions of Central Asia light candles and wicks during visits and pilgrimages to mazars for the sake of ancestral spirits. Another custom associated with Navruz and other religious holidays of the Tajiks is “buybaroron”—releasing” the smell of food, which is installed specifically for the joy and consent of the spirits of the ancestors.
Thus, the tradition of honoring the spirits of ancestors on the eve of Navruz has more than three or four thousand years of history and has reached our lives with different names and forms.
One of the ancient written sources is the holy book of the Zoroastrians, the Avesta, in which the term and descriptions of Navruz are never mentioned. But this book talks about Farvardgon—a spring rite that the Zoroastrians arranged in honor of the return of the fravashi (furuhar in Pahlavi scripts)—guardian angels of the ancestors. The ancient Persians in the last five days of the month of Isfand, that is, before Navruz, covered the symbolic tablecloth with different food and lit the lights.
This tradition has come down to us. The remnants of Farvardgan can be seen in the example of the New Year's tradition—Sarisali, which is held in the city of Khujand on March 7. On that day, pilaf is cooked in the houses, and in the evening, they are sent to the neighbors' houses. From other houses, they also put cooked stew on a plate and bring it back. The next day, tablecloths are laid in the houses, neighbors or friends, and relatives will come to visit and read prayers and surahs of the Koran and dedicate them to the spirits of the dead.
One of the preserved traditions of the veneration of furuhars in the period of Navruz is the festive picnics close to mazars and mausoleums of sacred persons, which continues to this day. People in some Tajik regions of Central Asia light candles and wicks during visits and pilgrimages to mazars for the sake of ancestral spirits. Another custom associated with Navruz and other religious holidays of the Tajiks is “buybaroron”—releasing” the smell of food, which is installed specifically for the joy and consent of the spirits of the ancestors.
Thus, the tradition of honoring the spirits of ancestors on the eve of Navruz has more than three or four thousand years of history and has reached our lives with different names and forms.
Book/Journal Title
Publisher
Research Institute of Culture and Information
Place of Publication
Tajikistan
Date of Publication
2023
Issue
1 (61)
Pages
5-14
Access URL
ISSN
2306-6423
Usage
copyright cleared
Academic Field
Cultural studies
Mythology
Community/Ethnic Group
All regions of Tajikistan
Zoroastrians, Tajiks
Contributor
Active Contribution
Tajikistan, FY 2024