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The 'Jashan-e-Mihragan' festival, dedicated to Mithra (Meher), is celebrated by which community?
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Answer: Option D — Parsis
Detailed Solution
Jashan-e-Mihragan (also called Mehergan) is a festival of the Zoroastrian (Parsi and Irani) community, dedicated to Mithra (Meher), the divine being (yazata) associated with light, truth, friendship, love and the keeping of promises (covenants). It is celebrated on the day of Meher in the month of Meher in the Zoroastrian calendar.
Mihragan is one of the oldest festivals of ancient Iran and is believed to go back thousands of years. It was traditionally an autumn harvest festival, celebrated as a thanksgiving for the harvest, in which people thanked God (Ahura Mazda) for the blessings of the year. Along with Navroz, the spring festival, it was one of the two most important seasonal festivals of ancient Persia. According to legend, it also commemorates the victory of the hero Fereydun over the tyrant king Zahhak, a symbol of the victory of good over evil.
During Jashan-e-Mihragan, Zoroastrians perform a "jashan" (a ceremony of thanksgiving and prayer) led by priests, in which offerings of fruits, flowers, milk, sweets and fire are made. People visit the fire temples (agiaries), wear new clothes, and celebrate with family and friends, sharing special foods and sweets. The festival emphasises the values of friendship, kindness and honesty.
The Parsis came to India from Persia (Iran) in about the 8th-10th centuries CE to escape persecution and settled in Gujarat. They follow the teachings of the prophet Zarathustra, summed up in the words "Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta" (good thoughts, good words and good deeds). Fire is regarded as a symbol of purity and is kept burning in their temples.
Other Parsi festivals include Navroz (the New Year), Jamshedi Navroz (21 March), Pateti (the last day of the year) and Khordad Sal (the birthday of Zarathustra).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Jews celebrate Hanukkah, Passover and Rosh Hashanah.
- ✗Sikhs celebrate Gurpurab and Baisakhi.
- ✗Buddhists celebrate Buddha Purnima and Losar.
Quick tip
Remember: Jashan-e-Mihragan = the Parsis and Mithra (Meher), the yazata of light and friendship, the ancient Persian harvest festival.
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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.