ZOROASTRIAN RITUALS:

Ceremonies and rituals-Kriyakam-constitute an important component of the Zoroastrian Religion,as observed by the Parsis of India.We have amongst us quite a number of religious ceremonies ordained for the good of the living as well as the dead.

Philosophy without religion becomes meaningless. Religion without rituals becomes bland. The rituals of a religion for instance; the husk of a seed, preserves its life and make it germinate. It is only when the rituals are separated from the faith and it is assumed an independent existence that they become mechanical and lifeless. Human beings have not yet reached the altitudes from where they can allot with all sorts of symbols and rituals and devotes themselves to purely abstract ideology. Rituals give a tangible shape to the nonfigurative spiritual ideals and add color and zest to life. Worship of God through images, pictures and symbols, offering oblations into specially consecrated sacrificial fires, the practice of meditation at sunrise, noon and sunset; - these were some of the rituals obligatory on almost all the Hindus during the ancient days. Even to this day, these have been kept up, though in a modified form, and with lesser intensity.

A wisely planned and solemnly conducted ritual prepares the ground, creates the atmosphere, suggests the mood and predisposes the mind so that the spiritual aspirant may easily detach himself from the world and feel the mysterious presence of the Supreme power called God.
Goodness and pureness are strongly linked in Zoroastrianism (as they are in many other religions), and pureness features prominently in Zoroastrian ritual. There is a selection of symbols through which the message of purity is communicated.

Following rituals are carried out at the birth of a person:
• Navjote ceremony
• 'Navjote' means a new initiate who offers Zoroastrian prayers
• ‘Sudreh’
• 'Kusti’
These are the rituals carried out at marriage ceremonies:
• The Curtain of Separation and Its removal.
• Marriage Knot
• Hand-fastening.
• Encircling with the Twist.
• Throwing the Rice

Death is unanticipated yet inevitable. Funeral ceremonies continue for four consecutive days. On the tenth day after death, certain prayers are recited both in the home and in the Fire Temple.