Traditions And Celebrations!
Dear Readers,
The importance of keeping traditions alive becomes immensely important for small communities. For a minuscule community like ours, the cruciality is next level, because our traditions which largely ensure the survival of our distinct culture, as knowledge is passed down from one generation to the next, thereby preserving our unique values and practices.
Traditions represent a critical piece of our culture. These form the foundation of community and of our families – they keep us connected with our history which defines our past, shapes who we are today and who we are likely to become in the future. When we start to disregard our traditions and practices, we endanger the underpinning of our very identities – as a community and as individuals.
Take for example, the recent ‘Ghee Khichdi’ tradition being kept alive by our Navsari youth, where young male adults from our community get together and go knocking on Zoroastrian households, asking for alms (rice, dal, oil, ghee and water), while singing a unique poem, to appease the Rain Gods, so that they may bless us with adequate monsoons! It grips us with a sense of nostalgia, pride and belonging, all at the same time.
As responsible community members, we must strive to utilize every available opportunity to reinforce the traditions, values and beliefs that we hold dear as Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians. If we take these for granted, they will get diluted over time, and one fine day, when we open our eyes, we won’t be able to recognize ‘our world’ anymore! Traditions support the backbone of our community, our family, and our faith, contributing a sense of comfort and belonging, bringing families together, fostering greater connect between community members. Let us ensure to always keep alive and celebrate our traditions.
And speaking of celebrating traditions, this Sunday, 18th June, marks ‘Father’s Day’. Though mainly a Western tradition, as true-blue Parsis, we never pass up a good opportunity to celebrate, so here’s wishing all the lovely daddies and father figures a Happy Father’s Day! Like they say, behind every successful man is a woman… and behind every successful woman, is a great father!
Have a lovely weekend!
– Anahita
