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.
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If one is invited to a Navjote Ceremony should a gift be given in which case what is the usual type of gift. Thank you for your reply
Jacquie,
Yes, we do give gifts to children on their Navjote. These gifts of new things from family and close friends symbolise the new life the child is about to embark upon, formally as a Zoroastrian.
Hence new clothes and accessories like a wrist-watch, shoes, belts, ties, jackets, etc. are appropriate. Of course, anything you know a boy or girl of that age would like will also be wonderful.
If you know the family well, you can always give them your budget and ask them to suggest something.
It is also fine to give token amounts of cash (called ‘Peramnee’) in an envelope (with your greetings and name written in red ink on top) to the child or his parents, so they can buy whatever they would like to.
Traditionally, these Peramnees are given in odd numbers that end with either one or five – ie. 11, 25, 51, 75, 101, 251, 501, 1001 and so on, depending on how close you are, what your budget is, and what currency you are using.
Sometimes people also calculate the Peramnee on the basis of what they think is being spent per person on the food for the occasion. So if the perception is that the family is spending around Rs. 125 per person on the food, then Rs. 251 is a decent Peramnee for 2 guests. It is everyone’s way of doing their bit for the Navjote. But this doesn’t always practical, nor is it mandatory.
The bottom line is, yes a gift is a must. What you give is up to you :)
Yours is the most concise description of “Navjote” that a non-Parsi would appreciate. Thank you.
Kindly correct the typo in your title: “What it means?” you have is, instead of it.
Yours in Z Faith
Sunnu Golwalla
Karachi, Pakistan
Webmaster’s Note
Dear Sunnu Golwalla,
Thank you very much for your appreciation of our description, and for pointing out the typo in the headline.
Sincerely,
Webmaster, DelhiParsis.com
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WHAT ARE THE LORD AHURA MAZDA’S TEACHINGS .
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Thank you Mehernosh, i got right clue after reading your answer.
Thanks. I will be attended a Navjote of my Friend’s son in 2 days time, and the above was comprehensive and beautiful info.
What is the dress code for friends attending the ceremony, dinner and party?
I am a bit confused at the age mentioned. Many are of the opinion that the age should be running and not complete that is to say, not complete 7 but say 6years and ___ months; or 8 years and ___ months. Can you enlighten me on this.
Thanking you
Mehernosh N. Patel