ZANT NEWS Z OROASTRIAN C ALENDAR. 08/07/11: Fravardigan Jashan (K) 08/09 to 8/18: Muktad (S) 08/14 to 8/18: Hamaspatadaya. Gh (K)

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1 ZANT NEWS A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas August 2011 ZANT E ZANT EVENTS 8/09/11 to 08/18/11: Muktad Prayers 8/13/11: Anand Bazaar 8/14/11: Muktad Jashan 8/19/11: Shenshai New Year 8/20/11: New Year Gala 8/28/11: ZANT Ladies Club Luncheon Out 9/04/11: ZANT front entrance 9/11/11: Children and Teen Religious Class 9/11/11: Gen. Body Meeting 9/18/11: Z Games Z OROASTRIAN C ALENDAR 08/07/11: Fravardigan Jashan (K) 08/09 to 8/18: Muktad (S) 08/14 to 8/18: Hamaspatadaya Gh (S) 08/18/11: Pateti (S) 08/19/11: New Year (S) 08/24/11: Khordad Sal (S) 08/29 to 09/02: Maidyoizaremaya Gh (K) MESSAGE FROM THE ZANT PRESIDENT On behalf of the board I would like to wish everyone a stellar Navroze and a great Khordad Sal. We are pleased to have Boman Godiwalla be our ZANT Board Communications Liaison to the community and encourage you to communicate your input to the board through him. Additionally, we welcome feedback through the messaging capability on the ZANT web-site. We welcome your input and feedback as it helps us align our efforts to what the community finds of importance. It is indeed heartening to see the Center being utilized by the community and becoming a focal point for the community. We thank Monaz Karkaria and Navroz Siganporia for organizing and conducting our first youth camp, which was quite a success and enjoyed by all who participated. Please review the details in this newsletter for the upcoming General Body Meeting. Wishing all of you a cool summer - ZANT Board INSIDE THIS ISSUE Upcoming Events 2-4 Shenshai New Year Gala Past Events/Quick Points Kids and Youth Corner Community Contributions 7-8 Muktad Prayer Names BOARD OF D IRECTORS President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Social Director Director Director Zal Parakh Mailing Address: P.O. Box Flower Mound, TX ZANT Center: 1605 Lopo Road Flower Mound, TX Saghar Behroozi Pearl P. Balsara Khurshid Jamadar Delnaaz Irani Afsaneh Samiya Boman Godiwalla We welcome and encourage feedback from our community. Please send comments or suggestions to president@zant.org or mail to ZANT, P.O. Box , Flower Mound, TX ZANT News - August

2 UPCOMING EVENTS CHILDREN & YOUTH SEWING & ART/ CRAFT CLASS Please stay tuned in the September Newsletter for the next Sewing & Art/Craft Class. WOODWORKING CLASS Please stay tuned in the September Newsletter for the next Woodworking Class. ANAND BAZAAR When: Saturday August 13, 2011 Time: 5:30pm to midnight Where: 1000 Lone Star Parkway Grand Prairie, TX Come and celebrate India's Independence Day at Anand Bazaar and help raise funds for ZANT. Anand Bazaar is one of ZANT's biggest fundraisers. It is these fundraisers that help defray some of the costs of ZANT activities... so please donate your time and $$$$$$$. We need volunteers and donations for making this event successful. Please contact Khurshid MUKTAD PRAYERS The last ten days of the Zoroastrian calendar are set aside for remembering and revering the fravashis. According to Zoroastrian beliefs, every human being has a fravashi which is all good, and it is the essence of Ahura Mazda in each person. During the muktad prayers, we invite the fravashis of all good people, both living and departed to visit us. And we place vases with water and flowers representing the Amesha Spentas called Khordad and Amardad as a special reminder of the fravashis of our dear family members who are no longer alive. Peaceful surroundings filled with prayer make the fravashis feel welcome, and they in turn give the congregation their blessings. It is an opportunity to remember our ancestors, give thanks for the gifts we have received and renew our commitment to lead a good life. As has become our tradition, we will have humbandgi collective prayers, where we read a few short prayers with their translations amidst the muktad table laden with flowers. This year we will be using our beautiful and serene prayer room in our ZANT Center for these holy days. PLACE: DATE & TIME: ZANT CENTER August 9, 10, 11, 12 at 7:00 p.m. August 13: 11:30 a.m. August 14: Jashan at 4:30 p.m. August 15, 16, 17, 18 at 7:00 p.m. PLEASE BRING: Vases and flowers, and any food you wish to offer. In keeping with traditions followed in the agiaries, no photographs will be displayed. DAILY DINNER: To make it convenient for the attendees, we are arranging for a dinner dish every evening, which will be provided by various families. Therefore we are seeking volunteers to provide this. Please call Anahita Sidhwa to sign up. Additionally, please call Anahita and let her know if you will be staying for dinner so that we can plan accordingly. MUKTAD JASHAN AND DINNER: We will have our Muktad Jashan and Dinner on Sunday August 14th at 4:30 pm. Please plan to join us for the prayers. If you wish to have the names of your dear & departed mentioned at our prayer ceremony, please fill in the attached form and mail it to the address on the form before the due date to avoid any delays. We are catering the dinner from "Al Markaz"; Chicken biryani and a side dish. If you want a vegetarian meal please do mention when you send your confirmation. Only people with prior vegetarian confirmation will be served special meal!! The cost is $10 per adult members, $20 per adult non-members & kids 4-9 years $7. Mail your checks addressed to "ZANT" to our P.O. Box. If you wish to join us for dinner please RSVP before Wednesday, August 10 to Delnaaz Irani. ZANT News - August

3 UPCOMING EVENTS (CON T) SHENSHAI NEW YEAR When: Friday August 19, 2011 Time: 7:00 pm Where: ZANT Center We wish all our community members who follow the Shenshai Calendar a Very Happy & Prosperous New Year! We invite everyone to join us in celebration of the Shenshai New Year at our ZANT Center on Friday August 19th at 7:00 pm. We will have a short Humbandagi prayer followed by a catered dinner. Arnavaz Vakharia will cater the dinner of "dhandar & shrimp patio". The cost is $7 for adults and $5 children under 10 years. If you wish to join us for dinner please RSVP to Delnaaz Irani by Tuesday, August 16th. GARDENING Planting Flowers at ZANT Center Calling all ZANT members and friends to volunteer! While getting sweaty and dirty, we will joke, enjoy music, develop camaraderie & beautify our center. We will be planting flowers at our Center s front entrance. When: Time: September 4 th 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Location: ZANT Center 1605 Lopo Road, Flower Mound, TX Please bring with you garden gloves & hand trowel (small spade). If you are coming, please RSVP via e- mail to Neenaz. Ice cream treats at the end! GENERAL BODY MEETING We would like to invite you all to join us for a very important General Body Meeting on Sunday, September 11th at 1:30 pm. At this meeting we will be presenting our ZANT Center operating rules & policies. All members will receive the documents prior to the meeting. If there are any questions please don't hesitate to call any Board member. Hope to see you all there!! ZANT LADIES CLUB (ZLC) When: Sunday August 28, 2011 Time: 1:00pm Where: Ali Baba Mediterranean Grill 2103 N. Central Expressway Richardson, TX ZLC meets on the last Sunday of every month - All ZANT ladies are welcome! Based on your feedback, our next event will be a lunch outing at Ali Baba Mediterranean Grill. The cost for buffet lunch is $15.16/person (includes drink and tax). The ZLC event organizers for this outing are Delna Godiwalla & Naazneen Johnson. To RSVP please contact Delna Godiwalla. The September event is a Mexican Fiesta on September 25th. The October event will be on October 30th for Wine tasting. All ZANT Ladies who would like to receive an e vite invitation for all future ZLC events please your request to Mary or Nina DiLucci. Ladies, please send us your ideas for future events! Z GAMES Date : Sept. 18, 2011 (Sunday) Location : ZANT Center Time : Age : TBA (all day event) No bar Cost : Members & Kids - $ 7; Non-Members - $ 15 (for food & game supplies) RSVP : By Sept 11, 2011 to Pearl Are you ready for some fun? Are you ready to help your Team win? ZANT has several games lined-up for a day of FFF (Fun, Friends & Food) We are looking for participants in all age groups..our plan is to have several teams. Each team will have participants from various age-groups. Team members will compete in games for their resp. age-groups & earn points for their Team. In order for us to prepare & have adequate supplies for games for all participating age-groups, it is very important that you RSVP ASAP to Pearl by September 11, ZANT News - August

4 SHENSHAI NEW YEAR GALA We are delighted to have received many reservations for our Gala. We know some of you have been out of town and are just are getting back; So come on, send in your reservation and join us for our Shenshai New Year Gala! The date is set, Saturday, August 20, 2011 and the venue is going to be the Holiday Inn & Suites at LBJ and Preston Road. We are looking forward to an evening of delicious Indian food, catered by Saffron House, dancing and maybe even some Karaoke later in the evening. Please mark your calendars. We request your RSVP by August 14. So don t delay and send in your forms early. We have a limited occupancy of 160, and entrance will be on a first-come first-serve basis. There are rumors flying around that there is a lot of hidden talent within our ZANT community, so this year we would like to invite everyone to come forward and participate in a talent show that has been planned for the evening. This is open to young and old alike and we encourage all to step forward and dazzle the crowd with your hidden talent! Also we would request you to call and let Delnaaz know if any of you are planning to take part in our talent show. This will help to make adequate arrangements. We hope to have a lot of young and old alike showing what they can do. Make us laugh, smile and astonish us with your talents! Any questions please call Delnaaz Irani. ZANT News - August

5 PAST EVENTS Jashn-e Tirgan: Who would have known such joy could come from only a bucket of water? At the celebration of Tirgan, with about 100 people present, we had the time of our lives! Everyone, young and old, participated in water balloon toss, and many other team motivating water activities. At the conclusion of the night came the inevitable water fight, and of course the more than satisfying home cooked meal. Autusa Behroozi (14) First ZANT Youth/Children Camp: We had our first summer camp for kids at our ZANT center. Everyone had a great time with all the fun activities like learning to track outdoor signs in nature, learning about the compass, and plank walking. The kids learned to work as a team. They took part in a pyramid to retrieve the treasure, followed the rope and passed the obstacles, heard natures rumble, treasure hunted, participated in talent shows; they even learned about our solar system and gazed at the night sky and lots of other fun games and activities. The final day all the parents enjoyed a fancy dress competition by our kids. Our kids sure have some hidden talent which surprised all of us! This camp would not have been possible without the commitment and dedication from Mr. Navroz Siganporia ("Sigi Sir" as he asked the kids to call him), Monaz Karkaria, Arnavaz Siganporia & Natasha Karanjia. We really appreciate all they did for the camp. Our children have been given wonderful memories which they will cherish for years to come. QUICK POINTS ZANT Furnishing Committee: We are compiling an inventory of donated items. If you are storing any articles on behalf of ZANT, please let us know by the end of August so that we include it on our list". For questions please contact Farieda Irani or Arbez Patel. ZANT Maintenance Committee: ZANT needs volunteers to join the ZANT maintenance committee to manage the regular maintenance of the ZANT building based on ZOMF policies. ZANT Hospitality Committee: We are looking for some volunteers who would make time to reach out to new Zoroastrians moving into the DFW area & provide them the assistance to settle-down & become a part of the ZANT community. We visualize the following role for the volunteers: contact the new family & share information about ZANT, compile a package to be delivered to the new families (ZANT Directory, list of Real Estate agents in the metroplex, ZANT membership form, information on ZANT website), update newcomers on any upcoming ZANT events to facilitate immediate participation, share the various ZANT activities which may be of interest, & introduce the new Zoroastrians to ZANT community members at their first event participation. ZANT Phone Number: ZANT has a phone number in operation now. You can reach ZANT during its open hours during events and activities at (972) ZANT Center Operating Rules: The revised operating rules has been submitted to board for review. The next step is to present the same at the upcoming General Body Meeting. ZANT General Body Meeting: ZANT will have a general body meeting on September 11, 2011 at 1:30pm at ZANT Center to finalize and vote on the ZANT use operating rules and guidelines. Please plan accordingly to attend this important meeting. ZANT Inauguration Prayers and Opening Ceremony DVD: You can order a commemorative set of DVD's for $ Each set will include a DVD of over 500 photographs and a DVD video of all the religious prayers and the opening ceremonies. Please join us in this ZANT fundraiser by sending in your check made out to ZANT for $15.00 and mailing in your order to Farieda Irani. ZANT Event Pictures Posted on Website and Newsletter: Please contact Saghar Behroozi by October 2011, if you wish not to have your pictures as part of ZANT event pictures posted on the website or newsletter. Recipients of ZANT Newsletter Hard copy via mail: in an attempt to reduce the cost to ZANT, we are updating our list of newsletter hard copy recipients. Please inform Afsaneh Samiya if you have an to allow us to replace your hard copy with e-newsletter. In addition, the content of all the E-Flashes which are sent electronically during each month will be communicated to the hardcopy list via phone calls by our youth and teen volunteers. ZANT News - August

6 KIDS AND YOUTH CORNER Children s religious class: The July religious class was a combined one with the little children, the older children, and the teen group. The children were shown a power point highlighting our religion. It emphasized the longevity, the simplicity, and how all encompassing of life our religion is. It was a great review for the kids because they got to recall Zarathushtra's life, the Amesha Spentas, the important prayers, the festivals, and even some history of the religion. Anahita Sidhwa very graciously helped by going deeper into some explanations and prayers. Please don't forget to bring your class folders! The 7th Zoroastrian Unity Cup Soccer Tournament : will be held on September 3-4, 2011 at Aviation Park, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Redondo Beach, CA To access information and application forms please refer to Please mail in your applications to ZSC at P.O. Box 1064, Redondo Beach, CA You can contact ZSC (Zoroastrian Sports Committee) at zsc@fezana.org CHILDREN AND TEEN RELIGIOUS CLASS Due to Muktad prayers from August 9 to 18th, there won t be a religious class in August. The September religious class will be on Sunday, September 11th at 11:30 am. HAPPY SUMMER DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! WE WISH ALL THE ZANT KIDS A SAFE, FUN, AND HAPPY SUMMER! ZANT News - August

7 WHEN IS IT NEW YEAR It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. Meher, Jimmy, Roshan and Melissa lay by the pool. "We should have a big party before College begins," remarked Jimmy. "What about the end of August?" "Sounds like a good idea, Jimmy," answered Meher. "But let s make sure it doesn t clash with the papeti celebration. Our parents will expect us to go to the ZANT function." "What is papeti?" asked Melissa. "I think its new year" replied Meher. "New year? In the middle of August? You guys sure have some weird customs!" Melissa interjected. "You have a good point, Melissa," replied Jimmy. "I'm not sure I know what papeti is. And don t some Zoroastrians celebrate new year in March which we call NoRuz?" Sound familiar? We all know that NoRuz in March signifies the vernal or spring equinox. It is creditable that the mythological king Jamsheed, more ancient than Zarathushtra recognized that the Sun rose exactly in the east and set exactly in the west on this special day. It seems appropriate to celebrate the beginning of a new year as the cold days of winter are replaced by the welcoming warmth of spring. The Zoroastrian calendar begins on roj (day) Hormazd, mah (month) Fravardin which was traditionally celebrated in Spring. There are 12 months in a year, each with 30 days, resulting in 360 days. At the end of the last month, five holy days, called "gatha days" are added giving rise to a 365-day year. However, even the ancient Zoroastrians were aware that if they followed a 365-day calendar, NoRuz would occur before the Sun reached its Vernal Equinox position. To correct this they added an extra month once every 120 years. Today we know that the Earth travels around the sun in 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes and 10 seconds. The Gregorian (western) calendar takes care of the fact that the year is slightly longer than 365 days by adding an extra day (February 29) every four years. While the practice of adding the five gatha days has continued through the centuries, the practice of adding the extra month every 120 years in the Zoroastrian calendar has not been followed regularly. This has resulted in the discrepancies we now notice. The Indian Parsis must have added the 13th month to the Zoroastrian calendar in 1129 C.E. and some Iranian Zoroastrians probably did it last in 1009 C.E. Both communities have subsequently ceased to add the extra month so that now roj Hormazd, mah Fravardin occurs in late summer rather than spring! This has given rise to three calendars - the Shehenshahi, the Kadimi, and the Fasli. The Shehenshahi ("royalist") calendar began at the coronation of the last Zoroastrain king of the Sassanian dynasty, Yazdegird III in 631 C.E. On August , we will celebrate the beginning of the year 1381 according to the Shehenshahi calendar. The history of the Kadimi calendar is also interesting. In 1720 C.E. a Dastur from Kerman called Jamasp Vilayati came to India and noticed that the Indian and Iranian calendars were out of step by one month. In 1746 a group of priests from Surat decided to adopt the teachings of the Iranian priests, including the Iranian calendar. They called themselves kadimi - "the ancient ones." By the beginning of this century, the widespread daily use of the Gregorian calendar caused some Parsis to think that it would be a better idea to add an extra day every four years rather than wait for 120 years to add the extra month. An added advantage of this system is that all the traditional ghambar festivals fall in the appropriate season. In 1906 C.E. Mr. Khurshedji Cama established the Fasli (seasonal) calendar in which roj Hormazd and mah Farvardin marking the new year would fall on March 21. "So, when is it really new year?" Jimmy asked. "On January 1st!" replied Melissa. Continued on next page... ZANT News - August

8 But Roshan's reply was more thoughtful. She said, "That's easy for you, Melissa. But if you are a Zoroastrian, it depends on what calendar you follow. New Year is on March 21st if you are Fasli, July 19 th if you are Kadimi, and August 19 th if you are Shehenshahi. And remember the last two dates will change every four years! Also, the word is Pateti, Jimmy. Not papeti. It occurs on the last day of the year when you are supposed to ask Ahura Mazda to forgive your sins. Oh, so we have three opportunities to ask for forgiveness and also to party! replied Jimmy. Roshan replied, Of course! And guys, we have so many other calendars in our lives there s the school calendar, the football season, and fiscal years for accounting don t always start in January. With all the computers at our disposal, surely it should not be a big deal for us to refer to the appropriate page and determine what roj and mah we will say in our prayers. Let s celebrate our uniqueness! And hope that our great-great-grandchildren will remember to make the corrections in 2467 C.E. and 2587 C.E. when roj Hormazd mah Fravardin will coincide with the vernal equinox This article was written by Anahita Sidhwa and updated from one previously published in ZANT News July VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ZANT needs volunteers for the following committees and tasks: ZANT Maintenance Committee: need volunteers to manage the regular maintenance of ZANT building ZANT Senior Club: need volunteers to assist with organizing and transportation as needed. ZANT Hospitality Committee: the volunteers will be welcoming the new Zoroastrian families to the DFW metroplex. ZOROASTRIAN WEBSITE RESOURCE Per Nina Kalianivala, the above is a great website for info on kings, saints, pictures of Zarathushtra, meaning of 101 names, etc. Thank you Nina for sharing this information! For various religious & community info, please also check-out the web-sites listed at CONGRATULATIONS! Vikas (Viky) Mullick (son of Ashok and Mani Mullick) graduated in Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from UCLA on June 10th, Vik was one of the twelve students selected out of three thousand candidates for MFA at University of California, Los Angeles. He is a versatile actor whose work runs from indie films to web series to stage. Vikas is also noted for his skills as a director, writer, teacher, nonprofit arts administrator and social worker. He will be getting more involved in film and television now that he has made Los Angeles his home. ZANT would like to congratulate Vikas on his achievements and wish him the best of luck! ZANT News - August

9 MUKTAD JASHAN NAMES IN PRAYER FORM This year our priests will perform the Muktad Jashan on Sunday, August 14 at 4:30 p.m. If you wish to submit the names of your dear departed family members and friends for inclusion in the Afringan Prayers, please complete and mail the following form to reach Delnaaz Irani by August 10, You may also send it to her by . Name of the Deceased Name of His/Her Father/Husband E O Oi B K E O B E O Oi B K E O B E O Oi B K E O B E O Oi B K E O B (Please use additional sheets for more names.) NAME TEL. NO. The names of the deceased are always recited together with their father/husband s name along with their status, i.e. Ervad, Osta, Osti, Behdin or Khurd, as per Zarthushti custom. No Surnames are recited in the prayers. E = Ervad (male who is /was a Navar) O = Osta ( male from Athornan, or priestly family but not a Navar) Oi = Osti (female from Athornan family) B = Behdin (male/female from Behdin, or non-priestly family) K = Khurd (child whose Navjote has not been performed) Please complete this form in block letters with the correct status circled for each name, and return to: Delnaaz Irani ZANT News - August

10 ZANT NEWS A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas August 2011 Keep this stub Please detach and return this side Accept my contribution of: for your records. with your contribution payable to: ZANT" and mail to: ( ) $10 ( ) $20 ( ) $30 ( ) $40 ( ) $50 ( ) $ To: ZANT ZANT Treasurer P.O. Box For: Check # Flower Mound, Texas Date ( ) General Fund ( ) Building Fund Amount $ ( ) Other ( ) Newsletter FROM: Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community. Help us pass on the good religion to future generations. ZANT P.O. Box Flower Mound, Texas ZANT NEWS To: ZANT News - August 2011