The Indo-European Twin Yima, and the Celebration of the First Dawn after Spring Equinox in the Zoroastrian Tradition (original) (raw)

Symbolism of the Vedic Night and Dawn

On the Vedic Symbolism, 2023

After a thorough study of the hymns, Sri Aurobindo discovered that the content, imagery and even the manner in which the Vedic Rishis expressed the truths belong to the same system of spiritual knowledge.

Dawn Maid and Sun Maid Celestial Goddesses

The Indo-Europeanization of Northern Europe: Papers presented at the International Conference held at the University of Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania. Journal of Indo-European Studies monograph, 1996

The goal of this paper is to ascertain the difference between the Indo-European Dawn goddess as she appeared in Northern Indo- European, particularly in Baltic folk songs, as opposed to the manner in which she was celebrated in Southern Indo-European myth and ritual, particularly in Italic, Greek and Indic.

The Dawn of History: Zoroastrianism -Ideas and Impact

International Journal of Enhanced Research in Educational Development (IJERED), 2022

The need of the hour in a world facing war, disease and economic instability is the reiteration of a common humanity. From the beginning of time intercultural relationships created civilizations, particularly along the Silk Road. The Indo-Aryan and Indo-European worlds are bound together through linguistics, genes, trade as well as cultural norms. A key element which unites India and Iran both home to the Zoroastrian faith is the belief in the forces of harmony in Nature. Asha in the Avesta is equal to Rta in the Rig Veda. Therefore, from the Bronze Age through the next two thousand years, tangible and intangible links bring these two ancient traditions together. They have contributed much to the world that has been forgotten; from medicine to literature, music and architecture. Today, when the Central Asian world is looked at as a place of disharmony and poverty it is time to correct history and bring back the truths of the past. The primary battle between the forces of Life and Goodness versus Negativity and Evil are seen in the ancient ceremonies of the Zoroastrian Yasna and Vedic Yagna. These are examined in this paper along with their significance to creating harmony between Man and Creation, a role of vital importance in our times of climate change and environmental degradation. Ancient wisdom has much to teach the world today about how to live in harmony with ourselves as well as the world around us.

Miϑra and the Sun: the Role of Miϑra in the Arrangement of the Avestan Liturgical Calendar

fәrā amәṣ̌ā spәṇtā gāθā̊ gә̄uruuāin Homenaje a Helmut Humbach en su 95º aniversario

As the deity associated with the sun’s glow or sun light, opposed to that of the astral body, Miϑra is the god of the liminal time, viz. the points of contact between day and night (that is, sunrise and sunset) and metonymically between summer and winter (that is, the equinoxes). Besides the well-known transformation of the Avestan liturgical calendar caused by the adoption of the Egyptian solar calendar, scholars have in recent years drawn attention to a further transformation in the liturgical calendar (for the first time H. Humbach in 2010): the expansion of the ritual divisions of the day from three to five. Later, J. Kellens pointed out the important role of Miϑra in introducing the division of the day starting with sunrise. In this paper, I will argue that Miϑra is not only associated with sunrise, but also with sunset, introducing Miϑra as the protagonist in the process that eventually led to the transformation of the ritual parts of the day. Moreover, I will show that the adoption of the solar calendar caused the transformation. Both processes are linked through a series of analogies between the day and the year around the axis defined by Miϑra: sunrise and sunset on the one hand and the two equinoxes on the other. I will also discuss Miϑra’s connection with both equinoxes. The autumn equinox is celebrated at the festival of Mihragān and corresponds to the Avestan festival paitiš.hahaiia-. With the vernal equinox begins the new ritual year with a series of celebrations that extend over the first week of the year. These celebrations are dedicated to the Aməṣ̌a Spəṇta, and in them the liturgical season of each asńiia- ratu- is introduced at a different day, thus connecting parts of the day with the conception of the year and even hemeronyms of the first week. In this context, I will also show that the standard Yasna, the Yasna with the dedicatory of Nōg Nāwar, in which Miϑra takes a prominent position, is originally the Yasna for the celebration of the opening of the new ritual year at the first sunrise after the vernal equinox. Other important actors of the reform are the Waters and the Frauuaṣ̌is in whose honour the other great seasonal festivals are celebrated and to which the longest Yašts are dedicated. Most likely, the reform of the liturgical calendar took place in Western Iran in Achaemenid times, perhaps concurrently with other significant changes such as the introduction of a permanent fire and the creation of a supra-national authority.