Ayathrem Gahambar · Gahanbar-e Ayathrem

Culture of origin: Zoroastrian · Ancient festival

Holiday sources: Iran · Zoroastrianism

Ayathrem, "homecoming", is the fourth of the six gahambars, the seasonal feasts that are, with Nowruz, the holiest days of the Zoroastrian year. It is thought to mark bringing the herds to shelter before winter, and it celebrates the creation of plants. In the Sasanian period the high priest Kerdir recorded paying for 6,798 gahambar services in a single year; the Visperad remains the main temple service of these feasts.