Vaj Yasht prayers of ‘Aya-threm gah’ Gahanbar, like other Gahanbars, was well attended

Vaj Yasht prayers of ‘Aya-threm gah’ Gahanbar, like other Gahanbars, was well attended

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By  Mitra Dehmobed, Amordad correspondent
TEHRAN (Amordadnews): None of the Vaj Yasht prayers is different from the others.  It is always the Mobeds sound of prayers and the unity and participation of the people, the fire of the Fire Temple and the held-up hands of the people, joining in the prayers.  What is the power that draws people of all ages, at sunrise, to the fire temple, to unite in the prayers?  What is the power that draws so many people, who have repeatedly come to Gahanbar prayers at sunrise?  On 20 Mehr (12 October), the Vaj Yasht Gahanbar ceremony was held in Tehran Fire Temple and this time I decided to arrive earlier than the others.  I arrived at the Fire Temple at 6 am, and saw the Fire Temple and the outside space packed with people, who had come to participate in this many thousands of years old ceremony.  The sound of Avesta had filled this holy place.
10 Mobeds were reciting prayers and there was complete silence.  The flames of the fire were dancing in the peaceful atmosphere.
Mobed Mehraban Firoozgari and Ramin Shahzadi were reciting the Yasna in the fire room.  They had started the Yasna prayers from midnight.  Mobed Firoozgari was praying and grinding ‘huma’.  There were small and big copper bowls next to him, filled with water and he would add the ‘huma’ to the water.
Another mobed was putting wood on the fire.
Despite the crowd, silence and peaceful praying had filled the air.  Before the Avesta ended and before the Barasad prayers started the fire censer with incense burning on the fire, was turned around among the participants, and with this sentence said by the mobed: “Hamazoor beem” (let us join hands) they moved their palm over the fire, and answered “Hamazoor hama ashu beem” (let us join hands in doing good and being truthful).  Everyone stood up, held up their hands towards the sky and prayed the ‘barasad’ together, and offered it to that day, Ashtad Izad day of Mehr month, Havan time of the day.
Vaj Yasht prayers ended and the people started greeting each other “health and support from the power of Gahanbar”.
With the Vaj Yasht prayers on the first day, Zoroastrians started their 5 days ceremonies of Aya-threm gah.
The Aya-threm gah chahreh of Gahanbar starts on 20 Mehr, for 5 days.  The mobeds go to meet this Gahanbar by praying Vaj yasht on the first day.  From 20 Mehr, in all cities and villages where Zoroastrians live, in the fire temples and in houses, Gahanbar khani is going on.
Aya-threm gah is the third chahreh of Gahanbar.  Altogether there are 6 chahreh of Gahanbar, in each of which, based on the belief of Zoroastrians, Ahura Mazda has created one of his creations.  In Aya-threm it is believed that plants were created.
Gahanbar is a ceremony in which Zoroastrians do charity, and according to the customs inherited from olden times, Zoroastrians donate whatever eatables earned in that particular season.  In this charity function the poor and the rich participate together and equally.
I do not know what power draws you and me to the Gahanbar ceremony, each time.

Vaj Yasht prayers – the mobed, while praying, is putting wood and incense on the fire.


Vaj Yasht prayers – Mobed Firoozgari and Ramin Shahzadi, praying Yasna and grinding the ‘huma’.


Vaj Yasht prayers – mobeds united in the Avesta prayers, with hands held up.


Vaj Yasht prayers – Zoroastrians, from all over Tehran attended the ceremony.



Mobed Ardeshir Khorshidian, Directeor of Tehran Mobed Association, said:  “I thank our community for such an active participation and coordination.  Word by word of the thought provoking prayers, which are recited, has energy in itself and it is this energy that draws us each time to these ceremonies.  There is energy hidden in the meaning of the words and we will better benefit from this energy when we know the meaning of these prayers.  We should wake up and join hands in spreading the ideals and goals of Zarathushtra, which is righteousness and refreshing the world with good thoughts, words and deeds.

Translation by Rowshan Lohrasbpour