The schedule for a traditional Iranian or Persian funeral tends to be fairly rigid. Before the funeral itself, someone will wash the deceased’s body with water and soap, before placing their hands in a prayer position and wrapping the entire body in a white burial cloth.
What is a Parsi funeral like?
Parsi funerals begin in a way familiar to many faiths: prayers are chanted and mourners pay last respects. But that's where the similarities end, says Khojeste Mistree, head of the Zoroastrian Studies Institute in Mumbai. This image shows a Parsi Tower of Silence, circa 1955, near Mumbai, India.
What do you give a dying person at a Parsi funeral?
Sometimes the juice of a few grains of pomegranate, which is considered essential in some of the Parsi ceremonies, is dropped into the mouth of the dying person. [5]
How do the Parsis dispose of their dead?
The carcass is left to be eaten by vultures. However, this method of disposing the dead is not being carried out recently. The Parsis are being forced to either bury or cremate their dead, although it desecrates the entire Zoroastrian system of disposing the dead. Why do Parsis dispose their dead the way they do?
What happens after death in the Parsi religion?
Sometimes the juice of a few grains of pomegranate, which is considered essential in some of the Parsi ceremonies, is dropped into the mouth of the dying person. [5] A short time after death, the body of the deceased is washed whole throughout with water, and a white clean suit of cotton clothes is put over him.
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How Parsis bury their dead?
We all know that Parsis do not bury or cremate their dead. They have their own belief system which does not allow them to do either. The Parsis, instead, have their own structure called “Tower of Silence” or dakhma where the dead lie in peace. The carcass is left to be eaten by vultures.
Do Parsis still use Tower of Silence?
The towers remain in use as sacred locations for the Parsi community, though non-members may not enter them.
What is a Zoroastrian funeral?
Instead of burying the corpse, Zoroastrians traditionally laid it out on a purpose built tower (dokhma or 'Tower of Silence') to be exposed to the sun and eaten by birds of prey such as vultures.
What do Jains do with dead bodies?
"In order to keep the Earth clean and pure, Jains cremate those who pass away. The cremation is done as soon as possible and cannot be done between sunset and sunrise of the day following the death.
Why is Parsis rich?
After centuries of rural facelessness, the Parsis flowered under British rule. Their philanthropy came to be as fabled as their fortunes, many made from the opium "trade" with China. Apart from spacious community housing, wealthy families endowed scholarships, hospitals and fire temples.
Which caste is Parsi?
Parsis (/ˈpɑːrsiː/) or Parsees ( lit. 'Persian' in the Persian language) are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent whose religion is Zoroastrianism. Their ancestors migrated to the region from Sassanid Iran following its conquest by Arab Muslims under the Rashidun Caliphate in the 7th century CE.
Is Parsis a Hindu?
They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages mostly to the north of Mumbai, but also at Karachi (Pakistan) and Bengaluru (Karnataka, India). Although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste, since they are not Hindus, they form a well-defined community. The exact date of the Parsi migration is unknown.
How do Zoroastrians deal with death?
The preferred body disposal method for Zoroastrians is by exposure to sunlight and birds of prey. Once a person has died, the body is of no value or importance. It is a shell to be disposed of as soon as possible, preferably to be returned to nature from whence we came.
Which should be done during a Zoroastrian funeral ritual?
Which of the following should be done during a Zoroastrian funeral ritual? The body should be burnt on a funeral pyre.
Do Sikhs cremate?
Cremation is preferred for Sikh funerals in India. Outside India, it is done with outdoor funeral pyres. In Sikhism, burial or any other means to dispose of the body are acceptable if the circumstances do not allow for cremation. After the cremation, the ashes are usually scattered in the river or sea.
Why do we shave head after death?
Men who actively participate in funeral rituals have greater chances of suffering. To avoid this, they must shave their heads completely. This Mundan ritual is also a mark of shedding their ego.
Which religions burn their dead?
Hindus believe that burning the body, and, hence, destroying it, helps the departed soul get over any residual attachment it may have developed for the deceased person. In fact, all the Dharmic faiths —Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism — believe in some variation of this fundamental principle.
Persian Funeral Ceremony and Traditions
Etiquette at An Iranian Funeral
- The religious nature of a Persian funeral ceremony makes proper etiquette very important. These tips will help you understand what you should and should not do at a Persian funeral. Note: No matter what a family's culture and traditions are, planning or attending a funeral is hard. If you'd like some help and guidance through the process, check out our post-loss checklist.
Iranian Burial and Mourning Customs
- The mourning customs of Iranians are usually as formalized as the funeral customs. That said, they do give you even more opportunities to offer your support.
Persian Funerals: Traditions Rooted in Religion
- Again, while there’s a chance the information here might not apply to every single Persian funeral, for the most part, odds are good it will apply to any Persian funeral you may attend. Because religion plays such an important role in Persian funeral customs, the way in which Iranian Muslims say goodbye to lost loved ones hasn’t changed very much throughout history. If you're looking fo…