Parsi New Year (Navroz) 2027 पारसी नववर्ष

Why Parsi New Year (Navroz) is celebrated

Navroz means new day. For the Parsi community, the followers of Zoroastrianism in India, it is the start of a new year in the Shahenshahi calendar. It is a time for gratitude, prayer, cleanliness and goodwill. Families thank Ahura Mazda, the wise lord, for the year gone by and pray for health and happiness in the year ahead.

The faith teaches three simple principles: good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Navroz is a day to renew these promises. People forgive past quarrels, help those in need and greet one another with Navroz Mubarak or Saal Mubarak.

History and story of Parsi New Year (Navroz)

Zoroastrianism began in ancient Iran and was the faith of its great empires for centuries. After the fall of the Sasanian dynasty in the 7th century, a group of Zoroastrians left Iran by sea to protect their faith. According to the Qissa i Sanjan, a Parsi account of their journey, they landed on the Gujarat coast and settled at Sanjan with the permission of a local ruler. Their descendants became known as Parsis.

The Shahenshahi calendar counts years from the reign of Yazdegerd III, the last Sasanian king. Because it has 365 days and no leap year, its new year slowly moves through the solar calendar and now falls in August. Some Parsis follow the Kadmi calendar, whose new year comes about a month earlier. Many also celebrate Jamshedi Navroz at the spring equinox around 21 March.

How Parsi New Year (Navroz) is celebrated

The days before Navroz are a time to remember ancestors. The last ten days of the year, called Muktad, are set aside for prayers for departed souls. The last day of the year is often called Pateti, from a word for repentance, when people reflect on their thoughts, words and deeds. Many people loosely use the name Pateti for the New Year itself.

On Navroz morning, homes are cleaned and decorated with flower torans at the door and chalk designs on the threshold. Families wear new clothes and visit the agiary or Atash Behram, the fire temple, where they offer sandalwood to the sacred fire. Priests perform a jashan, a thanksgiving prayer.

Food is at the heart of the day. Breakfast often includes ravo, a sweet semolina dish, and sev cooked with dry fruits. Lunch may feature patra ni machhi, fish steamed in banana leaves with green chutney, mutton pulao and sali boti. Falooda is a favourite drink. In the evening, families visit friends, exchange gifts and in Mumbai some enjoy Parsi theatre.

Parsi New Year (Navroz) across India

Mumbai has the largest Parsi community, followed by Gujarat towns such as Navsari, Surat and Udvada, home to the Iranshah Atash Behram, the most revered fire temple in India. Pune and Hyderabad also have old Parsi families. In 2026 the Shahenshahi New Year falls on 15 August, the same day as Independence Day.