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The Parsi Zoroastrian Association of Singapore

The religious calendar is a matter of some controversy among Zoroastrians. There are currently three main calendars in use: Fasli, Shahanshahi, and Qadimi. The oldest Zoroastrian calendar ('Old Avestan') was evidently a seasonal one, but it is not clear how it was kept in harmony with the seasons. In later years ('Younger Avesta' and Sasanian times) the prescribed method was to add a month every 120 years, but none of the three modern calendars follow this tradition. Cf. Denkard 3, chapter 419 and Bundahishn chapter 25.

FASLI ('seasonal'): A religious calendar which is kept in harmony with the seasons by inter-calculating one day every four years, patterned after the Gregorian calendar. Naw Ruz (New Year's Day) is fixed on March 21.
SHAHANSHAHI (or Shenshai): The calendar of many Parsee Zoroastrians, including some of the more influential Dasturs (High Priests). It is based on a religious calendar which was theoretically synchronized with the seasons by inter-calculating a month every 120 years, but the inter-calculation was not consistently followed. Naw Ruz was observed on August 23, 1995. A recent proposal would reform the Shahanshahi calendar by bringing it back into harmony through the inter-calculation of whole months.
QADIMI ('ancient'): In 1746 a group of priests and laymen in Surat adopted the Iranian calendar on the assumption that it represented an older tradition. The Qadimi calendar is one month ahead of the Shahanshahi.

Each month and each day of the religious calendar is presided over by a spiritual being; special prayers (from the Khorda Avesta) are observed in honor of that spiritual being. Days where the same spiritual being presides over both month and day (marked with * in the table below) are particularly sacred.

Date & Time

The day is divided into 5 watches or parts called GEHS. They are Havan Geh from Sunrise to Noon. Rapithvan Geh from Noon to 3:40 pm, Uziran Geh from 3:40 pm to Sunset. Aiwisruthrem Geh from Sunset to Midnight and Ushen Geh from Midnight to Dawn. The Period between dwan and midnight is called the Hojbarn period.

A month consists of 30 days named after Ahura Mazda, the 6 Arch Angels and Angels. There are 12 such months named after the Arch Angels. The last five days of the year are named after the 5 Holy Gathas. This makes 365 days in the year. There is no leap year but a whole month was added every 120 years. This is inadvertently not been done since the reign of the last Iranian King, who was overthrown by the Arabs. A few people who were in contact with the king added the one month, while the rest of the people in Iran forgot to do so. This has led to there being two calendars with a gap of one month between them. About 100 years ago a scholar Mr. K.R. Cama suggested a correction by starting the year on 21st March (the original New Year) and adding a day every leap year. Some people are following this calendar also.

Our calendar starts from the time of the coronation of the last Zoroastrian monarch of Iran around AD 630. Hence AD 1996 becomes YZ 1366.

Date & Time

Send mail to secretary@pza.org.sg with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2003 Parsi Zorastrian Association of Singapore Last modified: 12/29/04

Send mail to secretary@pza.org.sg with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2003 Parsi Zorastrian Association of Singapore
Last modified: 12/29/04