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Navroze Coloring Pages

Jamshed-e-Navroze is the first day of the first month of the Zoroastrian year. Parsis follow the Fasli calendar and their New Year commences with the Vernal Equinox. The festival is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The community dutifully follows all the rituals performed during Jamshed-e-Navroze. Parsis offer special prayers on the day savour the fixed menu of the festival and greet each other.

This is the most celebrated festival of the Parsis. Every year on March 21, Navroze is celebrated. On this day all Parsis join in the festivities, enjoy themselves, greet each other and attend the thanks-giving ceremonies at Fire Temples. March 21 is the first day of the spring and also the Vernal Equinox of the sun, and therefore a logical day to celebrate the beginning of yet another year. Hence the name was kept as 'Navroze', which literally means the New Day.

The celebration commences with cleaning the house, seeping out cobwebs, painting the whole house. New clothes would be ordered for the entire family. Garlands of roses and jasmine decorate all doors and windows. Steps and thresholds are marked with beautiful patterns in colour powders like 'Rangoli'.

Food is also an important component in these celebrations. Parsi food is a blend of West Asian and Indian style of cooking. 'Rava', the popular dish is cooked with Sooji, milk and sugar. When the mixture thickens, it is flavoured with rose water and sprinkled with grated nutmegs. The other popular dish is fried vermicelli, cooked in sugar syrup and sprinkled with almonds and raisins.

Parsis celebrate Navroze in a grand and elaborate fashion. They rejoice whole-heartedly and celebrate the day in a spirit of friendship, harmony and happiness.

The folks go to the Fire Temples for worship where they offer sandalwood sticks to the fire. It is customary for the Parsis to cover their heads once they are inside the temples. The children wear small round caps of gold and silver brocade, while men wear small black velvet caps. The women drape their heads with part of their sarees. After the prayers they greet and hug one another saying 'Sal Mubarak', meaning may the coming year be prosperous.

Visitors to any house are offered sweets and a glass of 'Faluda',  a sweet milky drink cooked with a special type of vermicelli flavoured with rose essence and served chilled. Pulaos rich with saffron, fish steamed in banana leaves, chicken curries with ground almonds and plain rice and moong dal served for lunch that day.

Growing of wheat in small earthenware bowls was also an age-old custom of the Parsis. On the 13th day after the Navroze, they tossed these tiny sprouts of plants into the nearby water-head, as a mark of reverence for the water and greenery. It is practiced by devout Parsis till this day.