Khordad Sal History

Khordad Sal is one of the most significant festivals celebrated by the Parsi community following the Zoroastrian religion. This festival marks the birth anniversary of Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism. Known as the Greater Nowruz, the festival falls on the 6th day of the first month of the Parsi calendar, Farvardin. This usually occurs in the month of August or September according to the Gregorian calendar. This occasion is commemorated with immense zeal and enthusiasm by all the Zoroastrians across the world. The origin of this festival can be taken back to as early as 628 BC. Glance through the following lines to know all about the historical background of the festival of Khordad Sal.

Historical Background Of Khordad Sal

The founder of Zoroastrianism, Zoroaster is believed to have lived between 628 BC and 551 BC, somewhere in west Iran or near Tehran, though the exact date is not known. Various literatures have pointed that Zoroaster was born on the first millennium before the birth of Jesus Christ. Zoroaster's mother, Dughdova dreamt one night that the world would soon be destroyed. She was five months pregnant with Zoroaster. However, an angel appeared and informed that her unborn child would grow up to become a great Prophet and overturn the coming destruction to the world.

It is believed that when the child was born, he was smiling and his face was shining. He inherited divine powers right from the moment he was born. It was due to this fact that the child was named Zoroaster. The word Zoroaster has been translated into two meanings. The name is divided into two parts, 'Zara' meaning golden and 'ushas' meaning light, while the other explanation is 'Zara' denoting yellow and 'ustra' denoting camel. Also in the years that followed, Zoroaster's father, Pourushaspa had witnessed that his son was immune to the element of fire, that is, his son could not be burned with fire.

At a very young age, Zoroaster set out from home is search of wisdom. After acquiring the knowledge, he used the prophecy given to him by Ahura Mazda to spread his message across the Iranian plateau. The birthday of Zoroaster is considered as a symbol of hope, goodness and love. The Zoroastrians honor this day by cleaning and decorating their homes, preparing elaborate traditional dishes and visiting their places of worship to offer prayers to Ahura Mazda and their prophet, Zoroaster. This tradition of honoring Zoroaster has now become a religious act for the followers for more than four thousand years now.