Hello Forum and fellow members,

This is a question of which i had to argue about, whether we Zoroastrians fast or not and if we do so then when and why.

Help us educate each other.

Zoroastrianism is based around the concepts of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds and Good and Evil. The religion itself is older than what modern scholars date it; it has existed before the dawn of time, before written history. It is believed by many Zoroastrians today that the religion was founded 8000 years ago. This is a traditional date as we see in the Denkard and the Shahnameh but is thought to be mythical by most scholars. The Gathas support the 1500BC date because they were believed to be composed by the founder of the religion, Zarathustra Spitama. However, the date of 6000BC was supported by the Ancient Greeks and would probably have been more accurate as they were the first foreign people to put a date on the founding of our religion. Kings of the past like Jamshed are thought to be mythical as they existed before written history but in the Iranian tradition they really existed and are remembered as the first kings of Iran rather than the Elamites, Medians and Achaemenids. It is interesting how it was 8000 years ago that the last ice age ended and civilization began but according to books like the Denkard King Jamshed’s kingdom existed throughout the period but when it ended he took the best and purest of his people so that Zoroastrianism would survive. This was a mythical story to Western Scholars until recently. In 2010, Underground Aliens, an episode of the series Ancient Aliens an Underground city was found by the name of Derinkuyu. Archaeologists wonder if this was the ’mythical’ place the Denkard mentions where Jamshed took his people. This evidence if proved to be true could make Zoroastrianism the oldest religion in the world which would really show how great and influential it was to mankind. Today, Zoroastrianism may be a small religion but in the past has proven to revive itself from dark times. I am very confident that the dark days of the religion are coming to an end and it will be revived and the lost texts will be found. Most people would disagree with my belief and say it’s not possible considering the Islamist Iranian Government but there are many stories of Muslim Iranians who want to return to their roots and want to be part of the religion their land once belonged to

Posted by nev

The Faravahar is one of the best-known symbols of Zoroastrianism, the state religion of ancient Iran. This religious-cultural symbol was adapted by the Pahlavi dynasty to represent the Iranian nation. The winged disc has a long history in the art and culture of the ancient Near and Middle East. Historically, the symbol is influenced by the “winged sun” hieroglyph appearing on Bronze Age royal seals (Luwian SOL SUUS, symbolizing royal power in particular). In Neo-Assyrian times, a human bust is added to the disk, the “feather-robed archer” interpreted as symbolizing Ashur. While the symbol is currently thought to represent a Fravashi (c. a guardian angel) and from which it derives its name, what it represented in the minds of those who adapted it from earlier Mesopotamian and Egyptian reliefs is unclear. Because the symbol first appears on royal inscriptions, it is also thought to represent the ‘Divine Royal Glory’ (khvarenah), or the Fravashi of the king,
or represented the divine mandate that was the foundation of a king’s authority. This relationship between the name of the symbol and the class of divine entities it represents, reflects the current belief that the symbol represents a Fravashi. However, there is no physical description of the Fravashi is in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, and in Avestan the entities are grammatically feminine. In present-day Zoroastrianism, the faravahar is said to be a reminder of one’s purpose in life, which is to live in such a way that the soul progresses towards frasho-kereti, or union with Ahura Mazda, the supreme divinity in Zoroastrianism. Although there are a number of interpretations of the individual elements of the symbol, none of them are older than the 20th century. Even after the Islamic conquest of Persia Zoroastrianism continued to be part of Iranian culture in which throughout the year festivities are celebrated such as the Persian New Year or Nowrouz, Mehregan and Chahar Shanbe Souri which are remnants of Zoroastrian traditions.From the start of the 20th century the Farvahar icon found itself in public places and became a known icon amongst all Iranians. The Shahname by Ferdowsi is Iran’s national epic and contains stories (partly historical and partly mythical) from pre-islamic Zoroastrian times. The tumb of Ferdowsi which is visited by numerous Iranians every year, contains the Farvahar icon as well.After the Islamic Revolution of 1979 the Lion and Sun which was part of Iran’s original national flag had been banned by the government from public places in order to prevent people from being reminded of life prior to the revolution, nevertheless Farvahar icons were not removed. As a result, the Farvahar icon became a national symbol amongst the people which became somewhat tolerated by the government compared to the Lion and Sun. The Farvahar is the most worn pendant amongst Iranians and has become a national symbol rather than a religious icon, although it’s Zoroastrian roots are certainly not ignored.

My Dear Zarathushti brothers and sisters:

This message focuses on the spiritual consciousness of the Ashem Vohu prayer.

When I was a young boy, I was told that Ashem Vohu is one of the most powerful
prayers in the Avesta.

Download Ashem Vohu Sina Vodjani Song

The literal meaning of Ashem Vohu given to me was:

“To think a good thought, to speak a good word, to do a good deed…. is
righteousness.