Asha says: December 13, 2013 at 10:17 am
i m in love with a parsee zoarastrian…so i want to know that they r muslims or what….because their name has a touch of muslims.. -Asha
Also read: Parsi-Hindu marriage, Why Parsis discourage mixed marriages, Hindu-Christian Married Life in America, Christian-Hindu marriages, Hindu-Jew marriages, Jain-Muslim marriages, Sikh-Muslim marriages, Brahmin-Muslim marriages, Hindu-Muslim marriages, Inter-race-Inter-faith marriages, Jew-Muslim marriages, Christian-Muslim marriages, Who is God?, Bollywood and Interfaith Marriages,
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By the way, SRK has his son circumcised at the young age.
Based on the video, SRK appears to be a pluralist. We are not 100% sure if he married by Nikaah or Hindu wedding. Did Gauri ever converted? If any one has information or reference, please site.
Marriage took place both ways i.e.hindu and muslim ways.In fact it was Gauri who insisted for the muslim marriage.
Hello every one,
Parsis have distinct rites of passage that start at birth and solidify with the Navjote (literally, new light) ceremony (similar to the Jewish Bar Mitzvah and the Hindu thread ceremony). The child (male or female) is blessed and inducted into the Zoroastrian way by donning a sacred thread (kusti) and a soft muslin undershirt (sudreh or Sudra), a tradition that pre-dates Zarathustra. She/he is initiated into the faith through prayers and community blessings. There is a great similarity here with the Jewish custom of initiation into the faith. The marriage ceremony, that always takes place after sunset, is a joyous affair and among some, includes the western custom of the groom kissing the bride. Both the Navjote and marriage ceremonies embody the spirit of free choice. In both ceremonies, the individuals are asked if they embrace the faith or the partner freely, of their own choice.
The final rite of passage is still the most authentic and considered truly alien because Parsis take their dead to designated, enclosed places called Dokhma or Dakhama, euphemistically known as ‘Towers of Silence’. The corpse is left in the open for scavenging birds to dispose of and emanates from the Parsi belief in doing good right up to the end. A week or so later, the dried bones are lowered into a deep pit layered with sand and charcoal, for decomposition. In all of the above ceremonies, the sacred fire, fed with sandalwood and incense, plays a pivotal role.
Between birth and death, however, is where the real Parsi story takes place. Parsis are a community of doers and givers. The authentic, life-celebrating philosophy of the Zoroastrian makes the Parsi’s zest for life a refreshing contrast to the moaning and groaning interpretation that many Hindus, Muslims and Christians have given to their own lively traditions. A Parsi will laugh and drink and party, but she/he will also work hard to achieve and give and build. Despite its intrinsic gentleness, there is nothing timid in the Zoroastrian way of life.
Indian Parsis traveled to other parts of the world to settle down in every continent, yet, the total number of Parsis today is an alarming 63,000. It was determined in a long drawn legal battle that ended in 1908 that you had to be born a Parsi, you could not convert to become one. You could become a Zoroastrian but not a Parsi. So, Parsis married within their limited community and as happened with Egyptian nobility thousands of years ago, the Parsi blood thinned and became a feeding ground for genetic diseases. The killer genes simply got passed down the line until Parsis are now a community prone to hemophilia, osteoporosis and cancer.
For many years, inter-community marriages were heavily frowned upon but today, it may be the only means of saving a vibrant group of people from dying out on us. And it is not just the race that is in jeopardy of extinction. The entire Parsi tradition, if you recall, was orally transmitted down the ages. With a thinning number in the younger generations and a larger group of elders, this tradition is in vital need of documentation and preservation. The UNESCO has made a gesture in this direction by creating a forum and giving a small donation as seed money for a project (called Parjor) to retrieve and record what is left of the Parsi way of life. The project coordinator, the dynamic Dr Shernaz Cama says: “The project is in desperate need of help, from both Parsis and others who are interested in preserving this community’s history. We need men, materials and money. To travel to places, document stories, legends and artifacts on film and even physically. We plan a museum, a library and films.”
Dear Asha,
Parsis are similar and not similar to Muslims.
They are similar in many ways. Parsis came from Persia (current Iran). They have different names than Hindus, they eat meat/beaf, they don’t express God in humanly form like Hindus, they will wish you to convert to Parsi (or at least ask that your children will only be Parsi), your Parsi bf may decline to be a part of Hindu wedding ceremony, etc.
They are different compared to Muslims. First, they were kicked out of Persia or ran away due to religious prosecution by Muslims. After they came to India, they tried to completely assimilate in Indian (Gujarati) culture. They adapted Indian cloths, language and food. They are always highly educated and has contributed significantly to India. They were never at war or had fights with Hindu host. They never proselytize any one to their faith. Their population is dwindling (now only 73,000 Parsis left in India). In general, Hindus are proud of their this new guest, Parsis.
In any faith, there are tolerant and not tolerant people. For example, in Islam there is SRK and on the other side is Mr. Haque. So, you have to find out how tolerant your bf is for what you are, a Hindu. Ask him that will he consider to marry by Hindu Vivaha ceremony? Further, can we give one child Zoroastrian name and another Dharmic name? Can our children be raised in both faiths 50%-50%? Is he looking for 50%-50% or 5%-95%? Let us know what he says. We are waiting to hear back from you.