Zoroastrian celebrations

The veneration of the sacred fire at the fire temple of Yazd. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.

Mazdeism, transformed by Zarathushtra, Zoroaster (in Greek) or Zardosht (in Persian), is one of the most important religions of the oriental world. However, its historical origin and evolution are difficult to define and are the subject of deep disagreement among specialists. We do not know exactly when Zoroaster lived: the proposed dates range between the 2nd millennium and the 6th century BCE. Of the Avesta, the main sacred text of Zoroastrianism, three quarters have been lost. The arrival of Islam in the 7th century caused either massive conversions of Zoroastrians to Islam, or their flight from Persia, especially to India, where a large community – the Parsis – is still active. The Zoroastrian community in Iran is small today – it numbers around 25,000 members – but it still constitutes an essential presence, symbolic of Iran’s pre-Islamic past.

Zoroastrian ceremony for the deceased in Yazd. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.

Chak Chak, a sacred Zoroastrian site, in Yazd province. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.

If Iran was Islamized from the 7th century, Eastern Islam was in turn culturally Iranianized. While Zoroastrianism was the empire religion of the Sassanids (3rd-7th century), the Zoroastrians were reduced to the state of a minority and tolerated community in the new Muslim order. However, Zoroastrian ideas, symbols and myths persist in Muslim culture until today. The Persian calendar in current Iran is of Zoroastrian origin, and many so-called Muslim customs are in fact Islamized Zoroastrian rituals, such as the tablecloths (sofreh) that are spread for the bride and groom or to make religious vows. In the 12th century, an Iranian philosopher (Sohrevardi) even introduced Zoroastrian thought into Muslim philosophy, by carrying out a philosophical synthesis of Greek thinkers, Zoroastrian conceptions and Islam.

Zoroastrians are mainly present in large cities: Tehran, Yazd, Kerman, Isfahan. The province of Yazd is one of the historic homes of the Zoroastrians. Several places of pilgrimage are found in the province, notably the site of Chak Chak, the most important, which is the subject of an annual pilgrimage in summer (June 14-18). It is easy to visit fire temples in Tehran, Yazd or Kerman, where a flame burns ritually fueled by priests, symbolizing the illuminating, pure and eternal presence of the Divine.

To learn more about Zoroastrianism: