About 300 million people across the world, including Parsis, Iranis and people of other faiths celebrated Jamshedi Navroz on March 20 or 21, 2024. The festival of Navroz heralds the onset of spring as marked by the vernal equinox. It is intrinsically connected with the seasons as they occur in nature, specifically spring and the movement of the earth and the sun.
In the northern hemisphere Navroz is celebrated on March 21 in countries like India, Iran, as well as in other places in Asia and North America. However, is it appropriate to celebrate this festival on March 21 in Australia and New Zealand and other countries in the southern hemisphere where the seasons are reversed? In the south spring occurs in September as the vernal equinox falls on September 22 or 23 and not on March 20 or 21 which is actually the autumnal equinox.
The large numbers of the Parsis and Iranis in those countries who migrated from their respective home countries in the northern hemisphere continue to observe Jamshedi Navroz on March 21 instead of on September 23. Should this anomaly not be corrected?
When King Jamshed first introduced the festival in ancient Iran did he envisage that future generations of Zoroastrians in the southern hemisphere countries would herald the onset of spring in autumn? I leave it to learned scholars of Zoroastrianism and other experts to decide. The high priests, experts, scholars, Parsis, Iranis and people of other faiths living in the countries in the southern hemisphere need to work out a solution. In my view, any possible solution could potentially spawn a new and perhaps fourth calendar for the southern hemisphere... adding to the three existing Parsi ones.
Also, with Navroz now being declared a global festival by the United Nations (UN), would any proposed solution need to be ratified by the UN?
It’s rather surprising that this issue has not been discussed at any of the world Zoroastrian congresses till date.
KAYOMARZ PATEL
kayomarz.patel@gmail.com