"We hope these past 10 holy muktad or Fravardegan days brought peace to all during this solemn time as we remembered and welcomed the fravashis of all our dear departed loved ones,” noted a message from Khursheed Navder, president of the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) in the Association newsletter. She commended longtime ZAGNY member Yasmin Ghadiali who "wrote so beautifully, ‘Did you realize that prayers are being done at the homes of Zoroastrian ladies married to (men from) Hindu, Zoroastrian, Muslim and Christian faiths? I am so proud of ZAGNY!’
"I too am proud of ZAGNY, as even 40 years later, we hold true to the words of our (benefactor), Arbab Rustam Guiv. His wish was for us to be united, broadminded… and this year, as in the past, our muktad prayers have allowed us to remember not only our Zoroastrian loved ones (ervad/osta/osti/behdin), but also our dear ones of other faiths who have not had a navjote performed (khud),” added Navder. She reminded, "At ZAGNY, we have been lucky for our inclusive community and mobeds — both conservative and not so conservative — have always had mutual respect for each other.
Muktad prayers being performed at the New York Dar-e-Mehr (top) and
at a volunteer host’s residence (above)
"Our muktad prayers are a time for us to come together as a family,” reiterated Navder when responding to queries from Parsiana. As part of the Association’s efforts to keep the members united, each family is encouraged to submit up to six names of the deceased for inclusion in the prayers. While the non-Parsi names have generally been of spouses, they have included other family members too, she clarified.
Prayers during the Gatha days that fall on a weekend are held in the morning at the Dar-e-Mehr. On weekdays, host families volunteer to have prayers performed at their home in the evening. The host families provide sukhad, fruits, flowers and serve dinner to the attendees from the vicinity. "For over a decade now, the malido has been prepared and donated by one of our members, Sheroo Kanga for all five Gatha days,” appreciated Navder. The mobeds and mobedyars (including two female mobedyars in their midst) who participate in the prayers are given a token ashodad by ZAGNY.
"To encourage the youth — both boys and girls — to actively participate in the prayers, Ervad Xerxes Antia involves family members as fire-tenders, whether it’s a khushali nu jashan or muktad prayers. While they are often Zoroastrian, they do not have to be. Antia provides basic instructions on how to keep the fire burning with specific precautions to prevent smoke/fire alarms from setting off. It is beautiful to see siblings sitting side by side, tending the fire to ensure that the atash in the afarganyu stays burning during the prayers,” clarified Navder. Parinaz M. Gandhi