The Parsis: Why we are such a communal religion?

Tanya Maneckshaw

SYBA 2020

The Parsi community, to which I belong, does not have any explicit stratifications or a system of hierarchy such as the caste system present in the Hindu community. The Parsis have always been a close-knit group of individuals, now more than ever as the population dwindles, however, I shall delve into that aspect later in this essay. A shared sense of cultural heritage, and a common history of persecution has brought our community together more than most others, and I shall explore the reasons for this strengthened sense of a group, developing into a clique of sorts, in this essay.

The first aspect of why I believe Parsis have an immensely powerful sense of community is because of a very strong factor uniting us, which is a developed feeling of shared history. The history of our race begins in an ancient powerful kingdom known to the Greeks as ‘Persis’, and in the native language called ‘Pars’ from which we derive our name. The exodus of the Parsis from their prosperous kingdom of Persis is known to most in history as a massacre by the Arab invasion of our empire. There was a barbaric slaughtering carried out by the invaders, as well as a forced mass conversion to their faith. The Caliph Omar defeated the forty-fifth and last King of Pars belonging to the Sasanian dynasty, Yazdegerd. Thus began the decline of Zoroastrianism. Although there are still Parsis in countries that once made up Persia, primarily Iran, their numbers are below twenty-five thousand in present-day and have never been the same. Those who practised Zoroastrianism were presented two alternatives, the Quran or death. By this means over a hundred thousand people were converted to Islam on a daily basis, and our fire temples and places considered sacred were destroyed or converted to mosques. There were a few thousand that managed to escape and a significant portion landed on the shores of Gujarat in India, the only remainder of our once prosperous and flourishing Kingdom.

A story that I was told, and most Parsi children are told when they are young, is the story of how we arrived on the shores of Gujarat, at the port of Sanjan in the Kingdom of a Ruler called Jadao Rana. When a Dasturji [priest] went out to meet the King in his court, he was struck by the warlike appearance of our race and did not want us to remain in the country. In order to communicate with the Dasturji, and tell him that the land of Gujarat did not have place for an additional population, the King presented him with a glass of milk that was filled to the brim. The Dasturji heard his message loud and clear, and instead called for a cup of sugar, and pouring it into the milk, mixed it in. This signified that the race of Parsis would blend with the Indian people and adopt their customs, their ways and manners of life, and would leave their major customs behind, while simultaneously sweetening the existing cultural practises prevalent in the Kingdom. The King was impressed with this gesture and granted them lands to reside and cultivate crops on with a few stipulations. The women would wear Indian garments, marriage ceremonies would take place at night as was the Hindu custom, and they would adopt the language of the Kingdom and cease speaking their native language.

Thus we settled in Sanjan and built a fire temple which was assisted by the King who supported the practice of worship of an earthly element as his religion did too. For three hundred years we lived in harmony until once again, an Islamic ruler - Sultan Mahmud Begada attacked the King who called on the Parsis to defend him. There was a second slaughtering of Parsis in this battle and once again our community suffered immense tragedy and we almost saw the annihilation of our race, but the Parsis once again managed to escape and establish themselves in Udvada, where they built a fire temple with the same flame from the temple in Sanjan, and the temple in Udvada still stands today as the oldest existing fire temple in India. They also established themselves in Bombay and Surat. Shortly after arriving in Surat, a majority of the Parsis were murdered brutally by the Raja at a wedding festival as they refused to pay an exorbitant tribute to him.

This shared history of persecution and an abandoned home, searching for a land to inhabit and then being brutally uprooted from there, is one of the major factors that has brought the Parsi community close and has developed a deeper sense of belonging for members of the community as even today after extensive conversations about our history with my Parents and Grandparents [as a lot of information about our race is not available readily on the internet], a sense of this history is present in generations hundreds of years later. These stories of persecution have been passed down through the years.

The second aspect that I would like to discuss that unites our race much stronger than others is one that comes not from a uniting factor amongst ourselves but rather one that differentiates us from the rest of the population. In comparison to the cultural heritage that is shared by the indigenous people of India as well as those descending from the Aryan race, the cultural heritage that is shared by the Parsis differs drastically. There is a very clear reason as to why.

On closer examination of our history, one will notice that the Parsis of Bombay and Surat began to interact with the Dutch and Portuguese as well as the East India Trading Company in much greater numbers than the other communities. In Surat, the Parsis were the sole communicators between the Dutch factories and the natives of Surat. The Parsis of Bombay traded with the English and established strong ties with them. There was a strong cultural appropriation that took place by these exchanges. The most obvious ones were the adoption of dining etiquette and the use of tables and chairs as compared to the previous seating on the ground. This pervaded entertainment too, as western classical music was listened to and concerts were held, the Parsis developed a taste for more European forms of entertainment, which can still be observed in our participation in music and theatre and other art forms. This came naturally to us as we had learnt how to adopt the culture of the Gujaratis, and adopting these European cultural norms and mores - which brought our community closer still - was easier than it would have been for the other communities in India.

Hence, a clear cut distinction was made between the Parsis of India and the indigenous people of India, as a large cultural difference began to exist that is still being passed down over the generations. There is a sense of a culture influenced heavily by that of the Gujaratis as well as of the Europeans combined with the existing Zorastrian practises that have created a milieu of traditions that differ greatly from any other. This leads to a greater sense of belonging amongst the community, which is already one that is incredibly close-knit because of the small size of its population. 

The third factor that unites us, is indicative of a lot more than just what it stands for. The Parsis have a distinct calendar that they have maintained over the years that is separate from any other.

The calendar followed by us is the Zoroastrian calendar, which draws on the Babylonian calendar. ‘The year is derived into twelve months of thirty days each, and five days, or ‘gathas,’ as they are called, are added at the end to make up the deficiency’ [Karaka, 1884, p.60]. There are three forms of the Zoroastrian calendar. The Shenshai, Kadmi, and Fasli Calendar. The Parsis have always been a minority community. The followers of Zoroastrianism in the mid-eighteenth century numbered at 1,50,000 [Karaka, 1884, p53]. The population has since dropped and the current census in 2011 numbered them at 57,267. In order to preserve the community's heritage and religion, rituals and religious practices are very strongly adhered to. Birthdays are observed not on the date that would be determined by the Gregorian calendar, but rather the Roj Birthday, or the birthday according to the Zoroastrian calendar. The new year is still observed as determined by the Zoroastrian calendar, and all major festivities are followed based on the date in the Zoroastrian calendar.

The calendar adhered to by the Parsis of India today was developed only in the early twentieth century by Khurshedji Cama, in order to not have vast date differences with the Gregorian calendar due to leap years occurring. However, it returned to the Zorastrian calendars used before the Arab invasion of Persia, incorporating themes and names that had been forgotten over the course of time. While other religions adapt to the dates determined by the Gregorian calendar, Cama made an initiative to divert further, and restore a sense of cultural heritage through the calendar.

This is an aggressive adherence to the Zorastrian calendar and it functions as a safeguard against cultural assimilation. As a minority community, the Parsis have found several manners to prevent cultural assimilation, which is the process by which cultural groups become more and more alike [Znaniecki, 1926]. The use of the calendar is taught to children before their ‘Navjot’ or baptism to the faith and is used repeatedly over the course of an individual's childhood. The importance of adhering to this is elucidated at religious festivities and given importance by families at social gatherings. The adoption of the Gregorian calendar is not permitted and therefore this acts as a shield against cultural assimilation.

We could hence label this an element of ‘Symbolic Interaction’ [Herman and Reynolds, 1994]. The meaning and importance given to this calendar are only those that are ascribed to it, and the interaction that the Parsis have with it is one that is given its meaning by the community itself. If we take away that ascribed meaning it would render the calendar redundant, making this interaction ‘symbolic’.

However, the clinging to rituals and customs, and returning to an archaic calendar instead of one that is prevalent in today's society is only indicative of another reason we are such a close knit community - because we have tried to protect ourselves from cultural assimilation.

In conclusion, there are various factors that have brought the Parsi community closer and created this deep sense of belonging that most of us experience. There are no clear distinctions between stratas of society, we are known for our philanthropy and helping those who need aid financially and otherwise. This deep-rooted communal spirit is what has kept our community alive. In a lighter vein, I have always felt a sense of strong kinship with my family and community - possibly stemming from the fact that I have [what I believe to be] an oversized nose. That, and a combination of powerful unifying factors have brought me to passionately appreciate my heritage.

References

Assimilation - How Different Cultural Groups Become More Alike. (2020). Retrieved 19 October 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/assimilation-definition-4149483 

Dārāb Peśotan Samjān ̣ ā, D. (1883). ̣ The Dinkard. Bombay: Duftur Ashkara Press.

Eduljee, E. (2020). Page 1. Zoroastrian Calendar - Fasli Bastani Shenshai Qadimi / Gadimi / Kadmi. Retrieved 19 October 2020, from http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/calendar/index.htm#naming

Karaka, D. (1884). History of the Parsis. London: MacMillan.

Naoroji, D. (1889). The Parsi religion. London.

Parsi population rose by 233 since Jiyo Parsi scheme launched: Naqvi. (2020). Retrieved 19 October 2020, from https://indianexpress.com/article/india/parsi-population-rose-by-233-since-jiyo-parsi-scheme-launched-naqvi-6255084/