Celebrate Navroz with Great Zeal! These 10 Parsi New Year Gifts are Sure to Make Your Loved One's Day (2019)

Every culture in this world has one thing in common, that is, each has its own specific New Year. The New Year is special to everyone as it is treated as the time to leave everything negative behind and usher in a new and fresh beginning.

Various cultures of India celebrate this very idea at different times of the year in different fashions. We have the Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Vaishakhi in Punjab, Poila Boishakh in West Bengal, Vishu in Kerala, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and many more. Most of the new years in India are celebrated at the beginning of a harvest season while few others are celebrated during a time of special significance to that culture.

One such is the Parsi New Year or Nowruz. Though Nowruz is the New Year for Zoroastrians, yet it is conducted with a secular attitude and people of various nationalities and religions observe it. This makes it a premier event that promotes togetherness and harmony among cultures and religions. In effect, Nowruz is the time when we, as a community of human beings, welcome the new with togetherness.

Nowruz is a celebration, and giving gifts should be a natural part of it. Though Parsis do not expect any gifts on this event, it won’t hurt anyone if you do so to show your appreciation of them. Nowruz is a festival of one of the oldest civilizations of the world, and keeping this in mind while selecting your gifts is important. If your gift centres around the rich culture, history, and heritage of the Parsis, then it would be meaningful to your Parsi friend and he/she will remember you fondly for it. Follow BP Guide to pick the perfect gift for your Parsi friend for Nowruz.

A painting is a great gift irrespective of the occasion as it is a work of art that has a lot of depth and meaning. As a wall décor, it adds personality and class to any room and gives it an aesthetic appeal. The painting you can gift your friend on Nowruz is “The Portrait of a Parsee Lady”. It has been painted by Raja Ravi Verma and depicts a Parsee lady wearing traditional costumes. A medium canvas print of this oil painting of the dimensions 18 x 24 inches would cost Rs. 1,624 on tallengestore.com.

A handmade diary is a meaningful gift that you can gift your friend on Nowruz. The blank pages of the diary would be symbolic as on New Year we attempt to turn a new leaf in our lives for a fresh beginning. Also, handmade diaries are beautiful and have a rustic charm. This is a slim diary consisting of handmade pages and dimensions 9 x 7 inches. The cover is embellished with a brilliant block print pattern of pale white roses on a dull blue background. The price of this diary is Rs 260. This diary can be used for a variety of purposes like to draw up the grocery list, jot down expenses, write notes, doodle or record passing thoughts. In other words, this would be the prettiest object of utility in your friend’s possession. Buy this from itokri.com

There is a custom of keeping painted eggs on a table on Nowruz. Your gift can parallel this custom if you choose to give your friend a wooden egg craft kit. It contains 6 wooden eggs of 3.5 inches diameter each, 10 paints and 2 brushes. The entire kit costs Rs. 3,190 on kiron.co.in. This craft kit can be used to make the painted eggs décor that is integral to the ceremony. Such a gift would make your Parsi friend delighted as it shows that you are knowledgeable of their traditions and respect them as well.

Gara sarees are traditional Parsi sarees that are an integral part of the rich art and culture of the Parsi community. Parsi Gara is an intricate embroidery work that is so beautiful that it is considered ‘Painting on the thread’. The value of the Gara saree is equal to that of jewellery to the Parsi community and is as much a part of their rich culture and identity as their festivals and language. This hand-embroidered Gara Saree sports an intricate peacock design in white thread over a blue saree. It is perfect as a gift for your Parsi friend on Nowruz for its cultural value. It's a bit on the expensive side and costs Rs. 41,580 on luxurionworld.com.

One of the objects that come to our mind when we think of Persia is carpets. Carpets are beautiful home décor elements and render the room class. So, this Nowruz, gift your friend a traditional Persian carpet. This Persian carpet comes in dimensions 9 x 12 inches and is made of wool. It has two colours, beige and court blue, with flower designs on it. The carpet is of lavish quality and is velvety to the touch. It costs Rs. 49,999 on rugsville.in.

Pendants are one of the best gifts to be given to any person on any occasion. They come in a variety of designs and materials to suit the preferences and taste of an individual. Parsi’s are followers of the teachings of Zoroaster and pendant depicting him would be a good gift on Parsi New Year. This gold Zoroastrian pendant encrusted with diamond is apt as a gift for Nowruz. It is made of 14k yellow gold and has 10 diamonds embedded in it. The craftsmanship on this pendant is detailed and intricate, and its beautiful finish is bound to mesmerize your friend. It costs Rs.18,224 and can be bought from candere.com.

Dry fruits are a great and healthy snack any time of the day. They are a pleasure without the guilt in it. This mix of dry fruits tukda consists of almonds, jardalu, cashews, raisins, and pistachios. They are of premium quality and taste delicious. Two hundred grams of this mixture cost Rs. 248 and can be bought from dryfruitmart.in.

The Zoroastrian religion is one of the oldest in the world. In present times Zoroastrians or Parsis form a tiny portion of the world population, and thus they are not represented in pop culture. In such a situation, a book documenting the teachings, philosophies, and other aspects of the Zoroastrian religion would prove to be one nice gift. “The teachings of Zoroaster and the philosophy of the Parsi religion” written by Shapurji Aspaniarji Kapadia encloses the above-said aspects. The paperback edition of this book costs Rs. 549 on Amazon. It is true that your Parsi friend would already know about Zoroastrianism from his/her family members but due to lack of representation of the religion in popular media, he/she may not know the finer details. This book will be helpful in that regard.

This Nowruz, you can gift your friend a customizable coffee mug. This ceramic coffee mug can be personalized by having photo prints of your choice. You can print a group photo of your friends or a picture of you and the friend you are giving the gift to. This show of affection is sure to delight your friend, and he/she will remember you for it. Besides photos, you can print an inspirational quote for your friend or a religious Zoroastrian quote to motivate him/her. The print can also be a Zoroastrian sacred symbol. There are 2 types of print, one-sided and wrap-around. The mug comes in 2 quantities, 325 ml and 450 ml, and as many as 8 colour options for handle and interior. The outer colour of the mug can either be grey or white. The entire package costs Rs. 225 only on vistaprint.in.

Who doesn’t like sweets, especially at festivals? Gaz Irani is a traditional Irani sweet that you can gift your Parsi friend on Nowruz. It is made of white chocolate filled with pistachios. The combination of the chocolate and pistachios gives it a creamy and nutty flavour that nobody can get enough of. A box of this Iranian delicacy is sure to lift the spirits of your friend and his/her family on the auspicious occasion of Nowruz. 450 gms of this tender and nutty delight costs Rs. 1,000 which can be purchased from dryfruitmart.in.

Nowruz is not like most Indian New Year Festivals which are held during the beginning of a harvest. Those festivals are to mark the beginning of prosperity of a mostly agrarian community. The Parsi New Year, on the other hand, is held on the first day of the Equinox. Many myths are revolving around the day of the Parsi New Year. There is a tradition among the Parsis to decorate a table with ‘Haft-sin’ on New Year. It is decorating a table with seven items that have symbolic meaning owning to the occasion. Another exciting aspect of this festival is the Parsi Santa Claus, a fictional character who comes with his companion on this day to distribute gifts.

Nowruz means a new day and is celebrated on Vernal Equinox which falls in March in the Gregorian calendar. It marks the beginning of the Solar Hijri calendar followed widely in Iran and Afghanistan. The Vernal Equinox also marks the beginning of the season spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Nowruz is celebrated as soon as the sun crosses the celestial equator equalizing night and day. Many myths are surrounding the day of Nowruz, but the most prominent is that of the mythical king Jamshid. He saved humanity from an Apocalyptic winter, and Nowruz is the day on which he saved it all.

One of the prominent rituals of Nowruz, the Haft-Sin consists of the arrangement of 7 items, each of which has a symbolic meaning. The names of each of these items begin with the 15th letter of the Persian alphabet. The seven elements are Sabzeh or wheat, barley, mung, or lentil sprouts on a dish, Samanu or sweet pudding prepared with wheat germ, Senjed or Iranian olive, Serkeh or vinegar, Seeb or apple, Seer or garlic, and Sumac.

Each of these elements signifies a sacred spirit of Zoroastrianism. Sabzeh signifies the spirit of Ordibehesht, the owner of oceans, Samanu signify the essence of Shahrivar or the symbol of grocery, Senjed signifies the spirit of Khordad or the symbol of love and affection, Serkeh signifies the spirit of Mordad or the symbol of immortality, Seeb signifies Seepandar Mazda or the spirit of a woman which means rebirth and health, Seer signifies the highest symbol of worship or Ahura Mazda and Sumac signifies the spirit of Bahman or the symbol of rain. Other items that can be placed among this arrangement are a goldfish, painted eggs, mirror, candles, coins, hyacinth, a bowl of water, and a holy book.

This is the most exciting part of Nowruz. There is a fictional figure in Persian folklore who, like the Catholic Santa Claus, comes once a year to distribute gifts to children. He is known as Amu Nowruz or Baba Nowruz and is characterized by an old man with a long flowing silver beard and hair wearing a felt hat, a long cloak of the blue canvas, a sash, a pair of linen trousers, thin-soled pair of shoes and carries a walking stick. He comes every year on the first day of spring with his companion Haji Firuz and distributes gifts among the children.

He is a symbolic figure in Persian lore whose main agenda is to pass on the story of Nowruz to the young. In the story of Santa Claus, Santa comes on the eve of Christmas Day and distributes gifts to the children. Similarly, Baba Nowruz and Haji Firuz arrive on the eve on spring Equinox or Persian New Year to impart gifts to the children. This is a wonderful aspect of Parsi New Year, especially for children and commemorates the idea and act of generosity which forms an important value in our lives.