Part 11
THE GAHANBARS
AND THE GATHAS
SEASONAL FESTIVALS
Zarathushtra, himself born in an agricultural environment,
preached and spread his Good Religion among people engaged in crop cultivation
and animal husbandry. Hid dynamic message introduced a completely new order in
spiritual, or better as he put it, "mental" sphere and purged out all
evil and superstitious thoughts, misleading words, and harmful deeds, but helped
to strengthen and promote all the then-existing constructive activities of a
good living.
The agricultural people were in tune with nature in their
day-to-day life. They fully knew
the solar and lunar movements and the changes in the seasons.
They had timed their activities to suit the climate in which they lived.
This timetable kept in step with saredha, the tropical solar year of 365
days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45.5 seconds, but differed a little on certain
points. Their activities were
scheduled to correspond with various phases of their agricultural life. It was
divided into six phases. The end of one phase and the beginning of other were
celebrated as a special time of festivity. The six festivals were known as Y�irya
Ratu, the rightful yearly rite. Y�iri means "year", solar
or not, perhaps because the festivals were not precisely based on regular on
regular seasonal changes, but as said, to suit the particular climate of the
people concerned. And this is a particular point to note. The six seasonal
festivals were:
(1) Hamaspathmaidhaya,
meaning "vernal equinox," the 1st day of Farvardin, the beginning of
spring, on or about 21st March, was to celebrate the end of the old year and the
beginning of the new year. It was, according to the Avesta, the time to
"properly set" everything and prepare for the new year.
(2) Maidhyoi-zaremaya
(Mid-spring), 14th day of Ardibehesht, on or about 4th May, was the time to
celebrate the occasion for the cattle having delivered their young and yielded
"abundance of milk" and also for appraising the cops sown in late
winter or early spring.
(3) Maidhyoi-shema (Mid-summer), 12th day of Tir, on
or about 3rd July, was the beginning of the harvesting season.
(4) Paitish-hahya
(Grain-reaping), 25th day of Shahrivar, on or about 16th September, marked the
end of harvesting.
(5) Ay�thrima (no-travel), 24th day of Mehr, on or
about 16th October, was to enjoy the end of trade caravans and the time to mate
cattle before the winter set in.
(6) Maidhy�irya (Mid-year), 15th day of Dey, on or
about 4th January, heralded the passing of the winter peak and for making
preparations to meet the spring with agricultural activity.
It may be noted that the seasonal quarters and
semi-quarters fall the 1st and 16th days of Fasli or "seasonal"
months, on or about 4th May, 22nd June, 7th August, 23rd September, 7th
November, 22nd December, and 5th February. Only the first two festivals
coincided with the solar seasonal changes. The others were purposely put off to
meet the living conditions. They
were not "calenderically" or traditionally bound but were very
practical people, a point to note.
Most probably the festivals were celebrated by
pre-Zarathushtrian people with sacrifices to gods and goddesses and by indulging
in a joyous festivity.
CHANTING AND FEASTING
Avestan evidences, particularly the book of the Vispered,
show that the early Zarathushtrians turned the seasonal festivity into a
occasion to fit into their new pattern of life. Each festival was traditionally
celebrated for one and later for five days. They were devoted to reciting,
chanting, explaining, understanding, and holding questions-and-answers on each
of the five Gathas of Asho Zarathushtra. The festival was rounded up with a
feast prepared by collective participation and efforts, and merrymaking. A piece
in the Avesta directs that all participants should bring whatever they can
afford-meat, vegetables, legumes, grain, other food ingredients, and firewood.
If one was not in a position to contribute in kind, one might put his or her
labor in preparing the food in a common pot, or just join the prayers. The food,
with a large variety of ingredients, was a tasty stew, resembling today's more
sophisticated �sh or the Parsi spiced dhans�k, both relished on
the occasion. Merrymaking was the fold music and dances still observed among
Iranian tribes all over the Iranian Plateau and beyond.
G�H�NB�R
The word G�th� was eased into G�s and G�h
in Pahlavi or Middle Persian. G�s�n or G�h�n is the plural
form and in Pahlavi and Zoroastrian Persian, it always means the "five
Gathas" and nothing else. B�r in Pahlavi and Persian means
"occasion, time, turn." The Persian name for the festival is G�h�nb�r,
the turn (to turn to) the Gathas. The folk etymology of g�h-anb�r
(time-stack), which should grammatically be anb�r+g�h (stack-time), is
of only recent interpretation by persons either not knowing Pahlavi and
Zoroastrian Persian or not understanding the significance of the festival in
connection with the Gatha recitation. Ghamb�r is Parsi Gujarati.
Why so much importance was given to the Gathas? The answer
is provided by the Yasna (chapters 55 and 58) and the Vispered (chapters 13-14,
16, 18-24). They say: The Gathas "are the Primal Principles of Life, [and]
we wish to maintain our lives fresh as is the will [of Ahura Mazda] ... They are
our guardians and protectors. They are food for our minds, in fact, they are
food and clothing for our souls. .... We recite, sing, learn, memorize, chant
from memory, practice, and teach them. ... We esteem each and every word, line,
stanza, and song-the entire bound (book) of the Gathas. .... We also esteem all
the questions and answers exchanged in regards to them."
The Gathas, as said earlier, are prayers to God and
guidance for humanity. They are
communion with God, and at the same time, they impart an eternally modern
message. The Gathas lead humanity, with all its modern science, to Mazda Ahura,
the Super-Wise God. With the Gathas as the guide in thought, word, and deed, one
may devote one�s good life in learning, practicing, teaching and preaching the
divine doctrine.
The Zarathushtrian Assembly has revived the true G�h�nb�r
spirit. It celebrates the G�h�nb�rs by an opening prayer appropriate to the G�h�nb�r
concerned; the recitation, explanation, and questions-and-answers of one Gathic
song; an enlightening talk; collectively provided stewed dish (both �sh
and dhans�k), potluck, and refreshments; and music and dance.
* * * * * *
Click:
Salient Points of the Good Religion (with Zarathushtra's Life Sketch)
Zarathushtra, A Unique Personality (Part 1) Zarathushtra, Early Life (Part 2)
Relatives First (Part 3) Consolidation (Part 4) The Gathas (Part 5)
God in the Gathas (Part 6) Divine Emanations (Part 7) Good and Evil (Part 8)
Death in the Gathas (Part 9) Rituals in the Gathas (Part 10)
Gahanbars
and the Gathas (Part 11) Religion
and Tradition (Part 12)