Gahambars
North American Zoroastrian Religious Tele – Class –Sunday April 6th 2014 11 AM EDST
Gahambars
Ervad Soli P. Dastur
A Zoroastrian Religion Class was held by Telephone on April 6th 2014 by Jo Ann Dastur & Ervad Soli P. Dastur from their home, Hira Villa, in Sarasota, Florida.
There were about 37 callers with multiple people listening together in some homes by calling a Tele-meeting phone number. The people were from both Canada and USA, from NY to Chicago and San Diego, Montreal to Miami, Dallas to NJ. The class material was a PowerPoint Presentation sent ahead of time to all participants in PDF format.
The three PDF documents were sent out to all giving details about this Tele Class.
They were:
1. NA Tele Class Prayer Dhalla Homage Unto Ahura Mazda background.pdf
3. 20140406 NA Tele Class 16 Gahambars.pdf –PowerPoint slides for the Tele Class
Topic:
Some Tele Classes ago, we covered a cursory look at the Zarathushtri Custom, nay requirement, for holding Gahambars as the community gathering. In our scriptures, it is one of the requirements for the Zarathushtris to hold 6 Gahambars a year, to thank Dadar Ahura Mazda for his 6 creations! In the olden days in Iran, this has been a custom followed religiously to this day. In India, many small villages used to hold them at least once a year. The full credit to revive Gahambars in India goes to the First Baronet Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy who donated to Bombay Parsi Punchayat a handsome sum of money to revive the Gahambars in Mumbai. This original fund has mushroomed over the century and BPP still holds Gahambars in Mumbai from this donation. Sir JJ also donated handsome sums to small towns like Navsari, Surat, etc. for the same purpose which is also still followed in these towns to date. So, in this Tele Class on April 6th, we will present detailed history of the Gahambars, how they were celebrated in Iran in the olden days and today, how they were celebrated in olden India and continued to date, and how the various diasporas all over the world celebrate them today. At the end, we would like to make a fervent plea to FEZANA, NAMC and all NA Z Associations to celebrate our 6 Gahambars correctly according to the Fasli (seasonal) calendar.We will have an opportunity to do so during our upcoming NAZC in LA in December when the correct Maidhyarem Gahambar falls on 12/31 – 1/4. I am also making a fervent plea to LA Z Associations in charge of this NAZC to celebrate this Gahambar on our traditional Gala Evening of 12/31 with a Satum prayer with all the Mobeds present praying together. We will end this Tele Class by performing the traditional Cyber Hum Bandagi and Cyber Hama Zor Greeting. Hope you all understand the importance of Gahambars and enjoy these interesting history and current practice of Gahambars all over the world!. Soli started the class off by thanking all the participants (37 callers in all) especially Kersi and Dolly Munshi, Tele Class coordinator, ZAF President Furrokh & Khushnam, etc. who took time of their busy schedule to attend and support our Tele Classes. He also thanked FEZANA VP Homi Gandhi for attending the Tele Class. After covering the main subject of Gahambars, we performed our customary cyber Hum Bandagi in English, from Dr. Dhalla’s book: Homage Unto Ahura Mazda. The subject was:
“Birth of Zarathushtra”,
by reciting all together ending with our signature Zoroastrian greeting of: “Hamaa Zor, Hamaa Asho Bade” (May we be united in righteousness) performed by all attending the Class, a cyber Hamaa Zor all over North America!
Agenda Slide with Discussed Topics
Gahambar Yazashne Ceremony in Tehran
Suggestions for NA Diaspora for Celebrating Gahambars
The PowerPoint Presentation slides and two associated material documents are attached to Yazdi’s website.
In most homes, families gathered in front of their computers following slides of this presentation as I spoke about them from my home. Agenda Slide with Discussed Topics
We also request all of you to suggest what topics we should cover in the next Tele Classes.
Many of the interested Humdins want us to place this one hour class as an Internet video. We have done that already and placed it in 4 segments on YouTube.
Here they are :
May the Flame of Fellowship, Love, Charity and Respect for all burn ever eternal in our hearts so we can do HIS work with humility, diligence and eternal enthusiasm! Atha Jamyaat, Yatha Aafrinaamahi! (May it be so as we wish!)
Love and Tandoorasti, Soli
Click on each of the attachments to read :
2014406 NA Tele Class 16 Prayer Dhalla Homage Unto Ahura Mazda Birth of Zarathushtra
NA Tele Class Prayer Dhalla Homage Unto Ahura Mazda background