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Jamshedi Navroz, the Zoroastrian festival linked with the spring equinox, is celebrated every year in which month?
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Answer: Option D — March
Detailed Solution
Jamshedi Navroz is celebrated every year on 21 March, the day of the spring (vernal) equinox, when day and night are of nearly equal length. It is the New Year according to the Fasli (seasonal) calendar of the Zoroastrians, and it is celebrated by the Parsi and Irani communities of India, as well as in Iran and many countries of Central Asia.
The festival is named after the legendary Persian king Jamshed (Jamshid) of the Pishdadian dynasty, who is believed to have introduced the solar calendar and to have started the celebration of Navroz, meaning "new day". According to legend, Jamshed was a wise and powerful king who brought prosperity and happiness to his people. The spring equinox symbolises the victory of light over darkness, the renewal of nature and new beginnings.
On Jamshedi Navroz, Parsis visit the fire temple (agiary) to offer prayers, clean and decorate their homes with flowers and "rangoli" (chalk designs called "chalk"), wear new clothes and prepare special dishes, such as "sev" (sweet vermicelli), "ravo" (a sweet semolina dish), "falooda" and "sali boti". In Iran and among the Irani Zoroastrians, families set up the "Haft-Seen" table, with seven items whose names begin with the Persian letter "seen" (s), such as sabzeh (sprouts), seeb (apple) and sir (garlic), each symbolising a wish for the new year.
Nowruz (Navroz) is celebrated by about 300 million people in many countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and parts of India. It was inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the United Nations declared 21 March as the International Day of Nowruz in 2010.
The Parsis of India also celebrate another Navroz, the New Year of the Shahenshahi calendar, usually in August, preceded by Pateti.
Why not the other options?
- ✗August is the month of the Parsi New Year (Navroz) according to the Shahenshahi calendar.
- ✗June is not the month of Jamshedi Navroz.
- ✗December is not the month of Jamshedi Navroz.
Quick tip
Remember: Jamshedi Navroz = 21 March (the spring equinox), King Jamshed and the Fasli calendar. The Shahenshahi Parsi New Year falls in August.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.