Category: Religion

Parsi Khabar is happy to announce that the son of our dear friends Khushroo and Parynaz Vimadalal was ordained as a Navar this past week. Ervad Freyaan K. Vimadalal was born in New Jersey USA and lived there till very recently when he and his family relocated to Houston a year and a half ago… Continue reading Ervad Freyaan K. Vimadalal of Houston ordained as Navar

The eminent Vada Dasturji, Dasturji Dr Firoze Kotwal enthralled the packed hall at the Empowering Powering Mobeds program on July 22, 2018 with his talk on the highly technical aspects of the Muktads. He commenced his speech with a rider that the aim was an ” attempt to give knowledge and not issue any kind… Continue reading Vada Dasturji Dr. Firoz Kotwal Explains Muktad Rituals and Prayers

This manuscript comes not from India or Iran, the lands associated today with the Zoroastrian religion, but from Dunhuang in Central China, and is written in Sogdian, a medieval Iranian language. It contains a short text concerning the prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster in Greek sources) and a phonetic transcription into the Sogdian script of the holy… Continue reading Manuscript: Ashem Vohu

It is a religion that has lasted three millennia, claims to be the world’s first monotheistic creed and to have influenced major faiths such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, inspired artists from Voltaire to Freddie Mercury but Zoroastrianism may be heading for extinction: in some communities only children of male Zoroastrians are admitted to the… Continue reading BBC Forum: Sacred flames that burn for hundreds of years

The Zoroastrian initiative ‘Jiyo Parsi’ has taken a leaf out of Christianity’s book with its new ‘Jiyo Mobed’ programme that aims to make priests into community facilitators by enhancing their communication and leadership skills. “We were considering the Catholic example of priests as pastors or counsellors to the community and the first intermediary for any… Continue reading Parsi priests take cue from Christian pastors

A Parsi priest could soon be your counsellor, too. On May 13, the first of a series of workshops begins in Mumbai to help priests take up community roles that go beyond the religious. They will be trained in better communication skills, to diagnose and advise on mental health issues within community members, and most… Continue reading Parsis can soon knock on temple doors for counselling

Dear Friends, For many years we have been discussing the importance of giving respect to our Priests and enabling them to become Pastors to the Parsi community, as are the Catholic Priests as well as the Sikh Granthis. Jiyo Parsi has realized that without a strong ethical background in Zoroastrianism, our community is suffering. This… Continue reading Jiyo Mobed Workshop

Last week’s column on the ordainment of two deacons in Mumbai’s Catholic Church attracted a lot of interest among Parsi-Zoroastrians. Unlike members of the clergy, who need to be celibate, deacons can be married men. Ranking next to bishops and priests in the hierarchy, these trained theologians perform many religious services and can be standbys,… Continue reading Not many takers for the Mobedyar scehem in Mumbai