Khordad Sal (Parsi, Shahenshahi) · Khordad Sal

Culture of origin: Zoroastrian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Zoroastrianism

Khordad Sal, the symbolic birthday of Zarathustra and one of the most important Zoroastrian festivals, falls on Khordad, the sixth day of Farvardin. Parsis who follow the Shahenshahi calendar keep it in August, while Iran keeps the same day on 6 Farvardin. They visit the fire temple to give thanks, attend a jashan and share a communal meal; homes are cleaned and decorated with flowers and chalk designs, and people greet one another with "Khordad Sal Mubarak!" In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Parsis marked it with large public gatherings and feasts.