This is a video in 2 segments describing the intricate and very specialized art of weaving a Kushti, the sacred thread worn by Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians. The process involves gathering wool from sheep, cleaning it, drawing fine thread from it, winding it on a Chaatardi (spindle) by hand, combining two such fine threads into one, and making 72 threads for the final sacred thread on a specialized instrument, Jantar. These 72 threads are then woven into a hollow tube, which is then cut by a Zoroastrian Mobed (priest) by praying a special prayer. The cur Kushti is then finished by creating 3 braids at each end, washed in soap and water, and then bleached by placing it under a clay pot with embers and sulphur, washed again, wound tightly around a Saraiyu (a smooth wooden round pole wrapped with a Sudreh) and dried to flatten it out. It is then tightly wound around itself in a neat circle. It is then pressed between two wooden blocks to flatten it out in a neat circular form. This completes the intricate weaving process of a Zoroastrian Kushti (sacred cincture).
This video was sponsored by Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) and created by the creative artists of the Frohar Foundation Films, Mumbai.