Posted on 03/20/2010 12:32:43 PM PDT by sionnsar
Excellent comments & insight. Indo-Aryan, faith .... etc.. Thank you.
Several yrs ago, I read that Egyptians celebrated “the arrival of spring” roughly some 10,000 yrs ago ... which is many more centuries before the *estimated* birth of Zarathushtra (Zoroaster). Of course, Egyptians were neither muslims nor arabs, at the time.
Actually, I think many races and nations, before Islamic conquest of the ME, Asia and North Africa, had some type of tradition & rituals celebrating “the arrival of spring”. Europeans as well.
I believe Iranians actually celebrated “norooz” before Zoroaster. However, since Zoroaster, in Iran, and for the Zoroastrian community, “norooz” does have a more distinct religious meaning, based on Zoroaster’s hymns “The Gathas”. For Zoroastrians (even those who consider themselves agnostic), it is not simply a national holiday (as it is for other Iranians), nor purely a Spring Festival.
Baha’is for example associate this holiday, in parts, with Islamic traditions (their parent religion).
In fact, for the Zoroastrian community both in Iran and the Parsis (in India), Zoroaster’s birthday is celebrated on March 26, every year. But, it is done rather privately & quietly.
Some say to get rid of life’s evil this way but as probably to “seed” the banks and distant reaches of the river with wheat that can then spread far aned wide and grow into food sources.<<<
Interesting, and a good idea.
Good report thanks for pinging me to it.
Throwing wheat in the river, the guerrilla farming of today, even throwing rice at weddings, it is all a circle and growth is the intended goal of food supplies.
ROFLMAO!
Think good thoughts (pendaar-e neek), speak good words (goftaar-e neek) and do good deeds (kerdaar-e neek).
While “worshipping” Light (goodness), this religion has a good force of light and an equal evil force of darkness, which like Yin and Yang follow each other in a constant struggle personified by night and day.
Much, MUCH, more enlightened than Islam... Thanks for the ping, FARS.
no, it’s the one where they buy goldfish and paint eggs to celebrate spring...and predates Islam by a thousand years or so....
and a happy Nowruz to you too, Sionnsar.
Thank you, LadyDoc!
Thanks for the ping!
“Old King Coel was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he; he called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl; now I guess we all know about Old King Coel.” — George Carlin
>>>>”Arak”
Some general info for your pics and for this thread:
“Mey” or Baad_e” was *The Drink* enjoyed in Pre Islamic Iran (Persia) - it is & means Wine in authentic Persian language.
“Sharab” is Arabic, and a commonly used perso-arabic equivalent word for wine today in Iran.
The Sassanid Persian Dynasty, before Muslim-Arab Invasion of Iran produced some great wines in Iran. Heard of the red wine “Shiraz”? The label “Shiraz” in the West now for wine is borrowed from what was a wine growing region, and grapes from Shiraz (Fars Province) in Iran before Islamic Iran.
“Arak” or more accurately “Aragh” or “Aragh_e Sagi” literally meaning “dog’s sweat” is essentially an Arabic pre Islamic alcoholic drink.
Practising and generally orthodox Muslims, particularly Arab Muslims, consider dogs “najess” i.e. impure and religiously forbidden and vile.
Another cultural difference compared to muslim one: Zoroastrians did & do venerate dogs.
After Arab Islam invasion of Iran, “Aragh” gradually became an undercover (Islam forbids consumption of alcohol) yet popular alcoholic drink in Iran, and many other countries (eastern Europe and more...), basically due Arabic influence.
Aniseed (e.g. “Pernod”) is a distilled kind of “Aragh” mostly popular in Europe & the UK.
Last 31 yrs, Mullahs in Iran enjoy another alcoholic home-made drink called Vodka - though publicly they prefer Tea!
“gheyloon” was brought over from India to Iran, as far as I know.
Thanks odds!
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