The Navjote – What it means

The Navjot (or Naozot) ceremony is an ancient sacred ritual of the Zoroastrian community. It is the ceremony through which Zoroastrian children on the threshold of adolescence are initiated into the religion.

The word Navjote is made up of the words ‘Nao’ which means ‘new’ and ‘Zot’ which means worshipper, and the combination of the two literally means ‘New Worshipper’.

In preparation of the Navjot, the children spend many hours learning the prayers which are in the ancient Avestan and Pazend languages. On the day of the Navjote, the child is made to wear the Sudreh and Kusti for the first time.

The Navjote is held only after the child is at least 7 years old, because after the Navjote the child is responsible for the duty of offering prayers to God and following the religion and customs. The Navjote ceremony is a public declaration of faith and is performed in the presence of relatives and friends.

During the Navjote, the child promises to follow the teachings of Zarathushtra, and recites the Articles of Faith.