1. The word Jashan is derived from the Avestan word Yasna which means a “ritual for veneration”. It is a ritual in which Ahura Mazda, Souls of the departed, Fravashis, Sarosh Yazad and other divine beings are invoked and venerated by the recitation of certain prayers accompanied by ritual gestures. All the seven creations – man, animals, plants, water, metal, earth, and fire – are represented in it.

2. Generally, Jashans are performed as thanksgiving for happy and auspicious occasions like birthdays and house-warming. They are also performed to commemorate important historical events, like Jashans of Navroz, Mehrgān, Tirgān and Sadeh, and also death anniversaries.

3. While a Jashan is in progress, certain ritual acts are performed along with the recitation of prayers, which convey important religious teachings. They are, in a way, a dramatic enactment of these key religious principles. These are:

a. Paevand “ritual connection”: This ritual act takes place several times in the Jashan. It is first done at the beginning of the Jashan. While reciting the Ātash Nyash, the Rāthwi/ Rāspi (assistant priest) touches the Afarganyu (fire censor) with a chamach (ladle) in his left hand and with the other hand, holds the hand of the Joti “chief priest.” If there are more priests in the Jashan, the Joti holds the hand of other priest/s and a chain of connection is formed. This ritual act symbolises that the Rāthwi is drawing energy from the fire and sharing it with the other priests. The fire gets its energy from the divine world.

This ritual act of Paevand is repeated by the Rāthwi several times during the Jashan, but in these later times, he does not hold the hands of other priests.

b. Flower ritual: Several times during the Jashan, the Joti arranges eight flowers in two rows of four flowers each, in the khumchā (metallic tray). The two flowers nearest to him are vertical, the others are horizontal. After some time, he lifts up two vertical flowers, and gives one of them to the Rāthwi. Afterwards he picks up, in a particular order, the rest of the six flowers arranged horizontally and gives them to the Rāthwi to hold. After some time the Rāthwi returns these flowers to the Joti, who then keeps it back in the khumchā. However, he does not mix them with the unused flowers, and every time he repeats this ritual gesture, he uses fresh flowers.

The arrangement of the flowers is to convey the religious injunctions about the material and spiritual worlds, as well as of the 7 Ameshaspands and the creations and virtues associated with them. The two vertical flowers represent Ahura Mazda and Zarathushtra, that is the spiritual world and the material world. The rest of the six flowers represent the other six Ameshaspands and symbolise the virtues they embody. The ritual enactment indicates Ahura Mazda giving the knowledge of the religion, including that of the Ameshaspands to Zarathushtra, and Zarathushtra then sharing that knowledge with the world. The final handing over of the flowers by the Rāthwi to the Joti, representing Ahura Mazda, indicates that the benefit accrued by practising the religious teachings is finally received by the person’s soul in the spiritual world.

c. Drawing of Karsha “furrow/fortification”: In this ritual act, a Karsha, that is, a symbolic fortification is created around the ritual space by touching the Chipyā (tong) or Chamach (ladle) to the four sides and four corners of one of the metallic vessels used in the Jashan, either a khumcha or a karasya (small water urn). This ritual act is like drawing of furrows, that is, lines of fortification, to protect the ritual area from surrounding impurity, and keep it pure. This ritual gesture also emphasises the omni-presence of Ahura Mazda, and His immanent presence in all four sides and four corners of the world.

d. Hamāzor “uniting in strength”: Hamāzor is a special hand-shake done between the participating priests in order to exchange spiritual energy. The literal meaning of the word Hamāzor is “uniting in strength”. It is done several times during the Jashan. The priests draw their spiritual energies through prayers and by being in paewand (connection) with the fire. They then periodically exchange this spiritual energy to strengthen each other.

1. After a Zoroastrian passes away, the first major after-death-ritual is the Pāydast, which includes the Geh-sārnā and the walking to the Dokhma following the dead body. When the Geh-sārnā finishes and the Sezdo (paying respects by bowing down) is done, the corpse is prepared to be taken to the Dakhma. Its face is covered with the white shroud in which the body is covered, and it is taken out of the Bangli.

2. At this point of time, non-Zoroastrians sitting in the pavilion come and stand outside the Bangli, at least three paces away from the portico, waiting for the corpse-bearers to bring the corpse out. Then they pay their last homage from a distance to the body which is completely covered, including the face, in white cloth.

3. The Zoroastrian mourners, after doing the Sezdo collect outside the Bangli and stand in pairs holding paiwand (ritual connection) behind the two priests who have performed the Geh-sārnā ritual. The priests are connected with a pichori and the mourners are connected with a white handkerchief. Then the priests followed by mourners walk behind the corpse, which is carried by 4 or 6 nase-sālārs (corpse bearers). Those who do not wish to follow the corpse upto the Dakhma do the Kasti and leave.

4. Either before starting to walk, or while walking, the priests and the mourners have to recite the Baj of Sarosh upto the point astavaitish ashahe. This baj is completed from the point nemaschā yā, after the corpse is laid down in the Dakhma.

5. When the procession reaches the assembly area outside the Dakhma, it is kept on one of the rectangular stone platforms there. The nase-sālārs uncover the face of the deceased. The attendants, still maintaining the paiwand, come close to the corpse and perform the final sējdō, keeping a distance of about two to three steps. At this point, the final Sagdīd takes place. Then, the nase-sālārs cover the face, lift the bier and carry it into the dakhma.

6. The mourners who are waiting, after getting a signal from the nase-sālārs at the Dakhma, leave the paiwand of the handkerchief and complete the bāj of Sarosh. They then recite the Namaskār of mountains and Namaskār of Dokhmas.

7. The Bāj of Sarosh gives ritual protection from the Nasu to those following the corpse. Nowadays, though priests take the Bāj meticulously, most Zoroastrians who go for the Pāy-dast and follow the corpse, do not take the bāj, mostly out of ignorance. Most people, though, recite the full bāj after the procession is over, since they are given books at this point of time.

8. After this, a few drops of Taro, is given, which is applied by the mourners to the face and hands, and allowed to dry for a few seconds. Then they wash their hands and face, do the full Kasti, pay homage to the Dadgah fire at the Sagdi and return from the doonger-wadi.

9. The BĀJ OF SAROSH, to be taken by the mourner when they participate in the Pāy-dast procession is as follows. It has to be taken at the beginning when the procession is about to start. It could also be recited while walking in the procession towards the Dakhma:

Khshnaothra Ahurahe Mazdao Ashem vohu 1.Yatha ahu vairyo 5. Ashem vohu 3. Fravarāne Mazdayasno Zarathushtrish vidaevo Ahura-tkaesho (Recite the appropriate short Geh) Sraoshahe ashyehe, takhmahe, tanu mānthrahe, darshi-draosh, āhuiryehe, kshnaothra yasnāicha, vahmāicha, khshnaothrāicha, frasastayaecha, yathā ahu vairyo zaotā frā me mrute, athā ratush ashāt chit hacha frā ashava vidhvāo mraotu.  Ahunem vairim tanum pāiti, Ahunem vairim tanum pāiti, Ahunem vairim tanum pāiti.  Yathā ahu vairyo 1. Recite Kem-nā Mazdā  till Astavaitish ashahe.

After the nase-sālārs give the signal by clapping, indicating that the body is laid down in the Dakhma, the Bāj of Sarosh is to be concluded as follows:

Nemaschā yā ārmaitish izāchā (3 times) Yathā ahu vairyo 2. Yasnemcha vahmemcha aojascha zavarecha āfrinami Sraoshahe ashyehe, takhmahe tanu mānthrahe, darshi-draosh ahuiryehe.  Ashem vohu 1.

Hazanghrem  baeshazanam baevare baeshazanām, Hazanghrem  baeshazanam baevare baeshazanām, Hazanghrem  baeshazanam baevare baeshazanām.  Ashem vohu 1.

Jasa me avanghe Mazda!  Jasa me avanghe Mazda!  Jasa me avanghe Mazda!  Amahe hutāshtahe  huraodhahe, verethraghnahe ahura-dhātahe, vanaintyāoscha uparatāto, thwāshahe khvadhātahe, zravānahe akaranahe, zravānahe daregho-khadhātahe.  Ashem  vohu  1. After this, Taro is applied to the face and hands, and allowed to dry. Then the hands and face are to be washed and the full Kasti has to be done, followed by paying homage to the Dadgah fire at the Sagdi.