Muktad Prayers_California_Aug.12
SHARED BY: MEHER AMALSAD, WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA, USA
WITH GRATITUDE TO:
SENSEI MOBED ZARRIR BHANDARA
AND HIS SON ZERKXIS BHANDARA
THE HOLY DAYS OF MUKTAD
Festival of all souls- muktad: astad roz, spendarmad mah (wednessday august 8th to friday august 17th), to the fifth gatha day. (the five gatha days are supplementary days and therefore no month is ascribed to them).
It is believed that during this 10-day festival the spirits (farohars) of our dear departed ones visit their near and dear ones in the physical world. the priests perform special rituals over cooked food, fruits and fresh flowers during which the spirits of our dear departed are invoked in order to seek their protection and blessings, in this world.
In the last watch (ushahin) gah of the vahishtoishti gatha day, a special afrinagan ceremony is performed, in honor of the farohars by way of gesture to bid the spirits a final farewell from this world.
During this 10 days, the living must keep their homes and hearts extra clean and be in a state of heightened consciousness, to experience the presence of the spiritual beings. it is said, that the muktad prayers should be offered for at least one generation that is for say, 16 to 30 years.
This is our 21st consecutive year we are organizing the Muktad Festival in California.
We take this opportunity to thank all of you (community members) for making this holy community event possible and so successful.
Prayers schedule Wednesday August 8th to Thursday August 17th
The Muktad prayers will be performed everyday at 5.30 pm, except on Friday the 11th the prayers will start at 4:30pm.
Also the prayers will be performed on Friday the 17th midnight and a New Year Jashan will be performed on Saturday the 18th at dawn.
The prayers will be performed at 14801 Doncaster, Irvine, CA. 92604.
Also, due to many requests from the community members we are restarting the tradition of putting the individual vase for an individual deceased person on the Muktad table, we will also have an Anjuman vase for all the collective departed souls.
If you wish to have a separate vase to be kept for your dear departed family member or a friend please do send it to us by August 1st 2011.
It will be our pleasure to include the names of your dear departed ones in the prayers during these holy days of Muktad.
Please email the names to us at zbhandara@gmail.com at your earliest ..
Thank-you
Sincerely,
Zarrir and Zerkxis Bhandara
In Zoroastrianism, there are seven pillars and one of them is Dokhma, the unique institution for the disposal of dead. Our fore fathers, where ever had they ventured , for green pastures, had first built Dokhmas in cities, villages, towns in India. They knew very well that, when they would die, the only way to reach their souls to Dadar-e-Gehan Din, was through the Dokhmas. Our scriptures have already forbidden the other methods like Aramgah, burial, cremation, etc. for the disposal of dead.
Dokhma is not just an institution but the well secured holy place, where no evil forces can enter in to it. To build Dokhmas need millions of dollars to be invested and lot of rituals and ceremonies have to be performed by our priests. Our fore fathers had built them out of their wealth for the Zoroastrians usage. They had the full faith in our scriptures and were the true followers of our Spitam Zarathustra.
To-days’ priests must act as the guiding force and must take the correct position according to the scriptures. They cannot show their ignorance and act as a pendulum and misguide our brethren.
To elaborate on the subject, please, visit my blog: cyrus49.wordpress.com