The Zoroastrian Religion: The Teh Naojote Religion
The Zorastrian religion is a very religion is a very ancient and influencial religion. The religion, much like any other religion emcompasses many rituals and ceremonies. This essay will discuss one such ceremony, called teh Naojote. It will discuss what the Naojote ceremony is, the significance of it and the celebration; while also comparing it to other similar celebrations , like the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The Parsi Naojote celebration is a ritual ceremony that is very important and crucial in the Zoroastrian religion an set of beliefs. This ritual, as the name implies, is a rite of passage ritual in the Zoroastrian religion. Children, both boys and girls, usually at the age of seven go through this ritual in order to become purified and in
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doctrinated into the religion. Even though most children commence the ritual at the age of seven, they are eligible to to commence the ritual until the age of fifteen. If the child does not go through the Naojote ceremony by the age of fifteen, than they are said to be collected by the Druj .[ J.J. Modi,The Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees (Bombay, 1922.) ,18] The main focus of the ceremony is tying of the kusti ( sacred thread) and the presentation of the sudre ( sacred shirt) the boy or girl. According to the lecture, the ceremony symbolises the coming of age for a child, and it is the Parsi Zorastrian version of the religious rite of passage. Before the actual ceremony, the child must first go through a sacred bath, known as a nahn.[ Ibid, 191]The bath is a type of of purification bath, in which the child is bathed in consecrated water sacred water.
Once the Bathing is finished the child is than taken into a room where all of his family, relatives and the priests are preparing the ceremony. The child goes and sits in front of the high priest who is conducting the ceremony. There certain things that are placed in front of the priest before the ceremony begins. A new set of clothes, which include the Kusti and the Sudre, a tray full of rice, a tray full of flowers which are presented to everyone present at the ceremony, a lighted lamp, fire burning on censer with fragrant sandalwood and frankincense; and “A tray, containing a mixture of rice, pomegranate grains, small slices of coconut, raisins, and almonds, to be sprinkled, later on, on the child as a symbol of prosperity”.[ Ibid,192]
The actual ceremony begins with the high priest placing the sacred shirt in the hands of the child. Followed by him reciting the patet, which is a prayer of repentance. The child also recites the prayer him/ herself. But if they do not know the prayer by heart, than they would recite the ahunwar, several times. Once the recitation is over the oryaer would than stand up and commence what is known as the The Investiture proper.[ …show more content…
Ibid.192]
The investiture proper is broken up into four sections. The first section is the child reciting the declaration of faith, or the confession of faith. The confession of faith is made up of two parts the khshnuman and the A Pazand formula of the Confession of Faith. Once the child has recited the confession, this is immediately followed by the recitation of the ashem vohu prayer. The priest would than put the sacred shirt on the child, while reciting the Yatha Ahu Vairyo. The second part of the investiture is the recitation of the Nirang-i kusti and the tying of the sacred thread. Both the child and the priest now turn and face the sun. Or if they do not know where the sun is than they would face the east in the morning before noon, or west after noon. The priest standing behind the child would than recite the Ohrmazd Yasht followed by the Nirang-i kusti. During the recitation of the prayer the priest would tie the sacred thread around the child. The process in which the sacred thread is tied is quite important. During the recitation of specific words in the prayer he would position the thread in a specific way. Once the thread is knotted, than the third phase of the investiture proper begins. The child , who now has been given both the sacred shirt and thread” must announce and recite the last part of the Articles of Faith, given in the 12th chapter of the Yasna. This prayer is essentially a declaration of responsibility to oneself, by the child. The child takes the onus on themselves to be pure and have pure thoughts. [ Ibid,195]Finally part four of the ceremony is the recitation of the Tan-dorosti. The preist recites the Tan-dorosti while pouring the the tray of While reciting this, the priest pours the mixture of rice, pomegranate seed, almonds, raisins, over the childs head. After the ceremony, the flower is given out to call the people preent at the ceremony, and the priest is paid and sent on his way. There is sometimes a party or a celebration that might follow. This celebration shares a lot of similarities with other religious rites of passage. One of the very similar one is the Jewish Bar Mitzvah. This could primarily be due to the Zoroastrian influence in Judaism, or maybe just a coincidence. But never the less, the similarities are very evident. Much like the Naojote , the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a coming of age celebration that symbolises the individual becoming an acting member in their religious society. For males the age of the Bar Mitzvah is 13, while for females it is usually 12. Contrary to popular belief the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not entirely a celebration. The celebration that most people are accustomed to is a relatively new idea and movement.[ Kaplan, Zvi, and Norma Baumel Joseph. "Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah." Encyclopaedia Judaica (Detroit: Macmillan 2007), 64] Nevertheless the Bar Mitzvah is very much like the Naojote . There is alot of the preperations going into the Bar Mitzvah. Prior to the actual ceremony the child is tutored and trained in the way of the Torah and its reading. This is very important because reading and reciting the Torah is a major part of the celebration. On the first day of public gathering after the child's coming of age birthday, is when the child gets called up to read the Torah in front of the whole congregation. In some western societies, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is held on the first ShabBat after the child's coming of age birthday. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not always a special religious ceremony. Unlike many other rites of passage in other religions including Naojote . There is not a special celebration or sequence of events that happens in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah takes place during a normal weekly service, the only difference is when the child gets called up to read the Torah. But in some socieities the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is treated a special ocassion, where the Rabbi might hold a special service for the family, of the ceremony. Nevertheless on the day of the ceremony the child is called up to read the Torah in front of the whole congregation. This symbolically represents the child's new role and responsibility in the the religious community and the journey they will now go on. The child walks to the altar where the Torah is, signals the where he/she is going to be reading from and than proceeds to read the passage he or she has practised. In some societies, the child reads the whole weekly passage, for the sermon. Usually the child would read the haftarah portion of the Torah. Once they are done reading they will return to their seat, while their father will now announce their benediction, the seperation of the child from his responsibility. This is usually followed by a prayer of blessing from the Rabbi and a speech from the child. During the Bar Mitzvah is usually also the first time the boy wears a tefillin to the service. And from hence forth he is required to wear one for every service hereafter. [ Ibid,165]After the service there usually is a party or celebration, to celebrate the boy/girls coming of age/ The similar ties between the two ceremonies is very evident.
In both cases their is a religions elder who leads the celebration. In the instance of the Naojote ,it is usually the head priest who leads the whole ceremony and blesses the child. While in the instance of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah it is the Rabbi who teaches the child about the Torah and guides them through their studies a year in advance of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Some times during the day of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah the Rabbi of the temple might have a special service. Furthermore in both ceremonies, the attendance of the family members is evident and important. One of the most glaring similarities is when it comes to the tefillin and the sacred shirt and kusti. Much like the kusti and the sacred shirt, the tefillin is a religious symbol. Before becoming a man, the tefillin is not worn by boys or someone who has not become a Bar Mitzvah. much the Kusti and the sudre , the tefillin represents not only the devotion of the wearer to their religion. But also their role within their religious society. Wearing the tefillin much like the Kusti and sudre, symbolises their active role in their religious community. Moreover now the boy has a responsibility of wearing the tefillin for all the service henceforth.Antoher similarity between the ceremony, is both ceremony require the child to recite or read parts of the holy text. In the case of Naojote, the boy/girl is required to recite zorastrian prayer. While in the case of the
Bar/Bat mitzvah, the child is required to read out of the Torah, and offer a prayer.
Also the meaning of both celebrations is similar. The Naojote symbolises the responsibility of the child's devotion to god. Their responsibility to remain pure and act according to the belief system of the Zoroastrianism. They are are now active members of the religious society and must act according. Furthermore they must now take responsibility for their own actions. This is very similar to the idea of the Bar Mitzvah, where the boy or the girl are now responsible for their own actions. This is evident in the ceremony with the father’s benediction, Blessed is He who has now freed me from the responsibility of this one ”.[ Ibid,164] The father proclaims that his son is now responsible for himself and the the child must now take his own path and responsibility. In both instances the ceremony is a coming of age celebration, used to signal their rise to maturity.
Inconclusion, the ___ celebration is a very important celebration in the Zorastrian religion. It signifies the coming fo age of a child and their new responsibility. The celebration also bares a resembleance to other celebrations like the Bar/ Bat Mitzvah.
doctrinated into the religion. Even though most children commence the ritual at the age of seven, they are eligible to to commence the ritual until the age of fifteen. If the child does not go through the Naojote ceremony by the age of fifteen, than they are said to be collected by the Druj .[ J.J. Modi,The Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees (Bombay, 1922.) ,18] The main focus of the ceremony is tying of the kusti ( sacred thread) and the presentation of the sudre ( sacred shirt) the boy or girl. According to the lecture, the ceremony symbolises the coming of age for a child, and it is the Parsi Zorastrian version of the religious rite of passage. Before the actual ceremony, the child must first go through a sacred bath, known as a nahn.[ Ibid, 191]The bath is a type of of purification bath, in which the child is bathed in consecrated water sacred water.
Once the Bathing is finished the child is than taken into a room where all of his family, relatives and the priests are preparing the ceremony. The child goes and sits in front of the high priest who is conducting the ceremony. There certain things that are placed in front of the priest before the ceremony begins. A new set of clothes, which include the Kusti and the Sudre, a tray full of rice, a tray full of flowers which are presented to everyone present at the ceremony, a lighted lamp, fire burning on censer with fragrant sandalwood and frankincense; and “A tray, containing a mixture of rice, pomegranate grains, small slices of coconut, raisins, and almonds, to be sprinkled, later on, on the child as a symbol of prosperity”.[ Ibid,192]
The actual ceremony begins with the high priest placing the sacred shirt in the hands of the child. Followed by him reciting the patet, which is a prayer of repentance. The child also recites the prayer him/ herself. But if they do not know the prayer by heart, than they would recite the ahunwar, several times. Once the recitation is over the oryaer would than stand up and commence what is known as the The Investiture proper.[ …show more content…
Ibid.192]
The investiture proper is broken up into four sections. The first section is the child reciting the declaration of faith, or the confession of faith. The confession of faith is made up of two parts the khshnuman and the A Pazand formula of the Confession of Faith. Once the child has recited the confession, this is immediately followed by the recitation of the ashem vohu prayer. The priest would than put the sacred shirt on the child, while reciting the Yatha Ahu Vairyo. The second part of the investiture is the recitation of the Nirang-i kusti and the tying of the sacred thread. Both the child and the priest now turn and face the sun. Or if they do not know where the sun is than they would face the east in the morning before noon, or west after noon. The priest standing behind the child would than recite the Ohrmazd Yasht followed by the Nirang-i kusti. During the recitation of the prayer the priest would tie the sacred thread around the child. The process in which the sacred thread is tied is quite important. During the recitation of specific words in the prayer he would position the thread in a specific way. Once the thread is knotted, than the third phase of the investiture proper begins. The child , who now has been given both the sacred shirt and thread” must announce and recite the last part of the Articles of Faith, given in the 12th chapter of the Yasna. This prayer is essentially a declaration of responsibility to oneself, by the child. The child takes the onus on themselves to be pure and have pure thoughts. [ Ibid,195]Finally part four of the ceremony is the recitation of the Tan-dorosti. The preist recites the Tan-dorosti while pouring the the tray of While reciting this, the priest pours the mixture of rice, pomegranate seed, almonds, raisins, over the childs head. After the ceremony, the flower is given out to call the people preent at the ceremony, and the priest is paid and sent on his way. There is sometimes a party or a celebration that might follow. This celebration shares a lot of similarities with other religious rites of passage. One of the very similar one is the Jewish Bar Mitzvah. This could primarily be due to the Zoroastrian influence in Judaism, or maybe just a coincidence. But never the less, the similarities are very evident. Much like the Naojote , the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a coming of age celebration that symbolises the individual becoming an acting member in their religious society. For males the age of the Bar Mitzvah is 13, while for females it is usually 12. Contrary to popular belief the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not entirely a celebration. The celebration that most people are accustomed to is a relatively new idea and movement.[ Kaplan, Zvi, and Norma Baumel Joseph. "Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah." Encyclopaedia Judaica (Detroit: Macmillan 2007), 64] Nevertheless the Bar Mitzvah is very much like the Naojote . There is alot of the preperations going into the Bar Mitzvah. Prior to the actual ceremony the child is tutored and trained in the way of the Torah and its reading. This is very important because reading and reciting the Torah is a major part of the celebration. On the first day of public gathering after the child's coming of age birthday, is when the child gets called up to read the Torah in front of the whole congregation. In some western societies, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is held on the first ShabBat after the child's coming of age birthday. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not always a special religious ceremony. Unlike many other rites of passage in other religions including Naojote . There is not a special celebration or sequence of events that happens in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah takes place during a normal weekly service, the only difference is when the child gets called up to read the Torah. But in some socieities the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is treated a special ocassion, where the Rabbi might hold a special service for the family, of the ceremony. Nevertheless on the day of the ceremony the child is called up to read the Torah in front of the whole congregation. This symbolically represents the child's new role and responsibility in the the religious community and the journey they will now go on. The child walks to the altar where the Torah is, signals the where he/she is going to be reading from and than proceeds to read the passage he or she has practised. In some societies, the child reads the whole weekly passage, for the sermon. Usually the child would read the haftarah portion of the Torah. Once they are done reading they will return to their seat, while their father will now announce their benediction, the seperation of the child from his responsibility. This is usually followed by a prayer of blessing from the Rabbi and a speech from the child. During the Bar Mitzvah is usually also the first time the boy wears a tefillin to the service. And from hence forth he is required to wear one for every service hereafter. [ Ibid,165]After the service there usually is a party or celebration, to celebrate the boy/girls coming of age/ The similar ties between the two ceremonies is very evident.
In both cases their is a religions elder who leads the celebration. In the instance of the Naojote ,it is usually the head priest who leads the whole ceremony and blesses the child. While in the instance of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah it is the Rabbi who teaches the child about the Torah and guides them through their studies a year in advance of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Some times during the day of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah the Rabbi of the temple might have a special service. Furthermore in both ceremonies, the attendance of the family members is evident and important. One of the most glaring similarities is when it comes to the tefillin and the sacred shirt and kusti. Much like the kusti and the sacred shirt, the tefillin is a religious symbol. Before becoming a man, the tefillin is not worn by boys or someone who has not become a Bar Mitzvah. much the Kusti and the sudre , the tefillin represents not only the devotion of the wearer to their religion. But also their role within their religious society. Wearing the tefillin much like the Kusti and sudre, symbolises their active role in their religious community. Moreover now the boy has a responsibility of wearing the tefillin for all the service henceforth.Antoher similarity between the ceremony, is both ceremony require the child to recite or read parts of the holy text. In the case of Naojote, the boy/girl is required to recite zorastrian prayer. While in the case of the
Bar/Bat mitzvah, the child is required to read out of the Torah, and offer a prayer.
Also the meaning of both celebrations is similar. The Naojote symbolises the responsibility of the child's devotion to god. Their responsibility to remain pure and act according to the belief system of the Zoroastrianism. They are are now active members of the religious society and must act according. Furthermore they must now take responsibility for their own actions. This is very similar to the idea of the Bar Mitzvah, where the boy or the girl are now responsible for their own actions. This is evident in the ceremony with the father’s benediction, Blessed is He who has now freed me from the responsibility of this one ”.[ Ibid,164] The father proclaims that his son is now responsible for himself and the the child must now take his own path and responsibility. In both instances the ceremony is a coming of age celebration, used to signal their rise to maturity.
Inconclusion, the ___ celebration is a very important celebration in the Zorastrian religion. It signifies the coming fo age of a child and their new responsibility. The celebration also bares a resembleance to other celebrations like the Bar/ Bat Mitzvah.