Mehregan celebrations bring Zoroastrian community in Iran’s Yazd together

Yazd, IRNA – Zoroastrians in Yazd Province gathered Friday to mark Mehregan, an ancient Iranian festival, with ceremonies held in Yazd city, Taft and Sharifabad in Ardakan, as well as in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Kerman provinces.

Mehregan traditionally follows Nowruz in importance and is associated with the beginning of winter, while Nowruz marked the start of summer in the ancient two-season calendar. The festival carries astronomical, historical and religious dimensions and is linked in Iranian tradition to the victory of Kaveh the Blacksmith over the tyrant Zahhak and the enthronement of Fereydun.

Rostam Kavusianzadeh, a Zoroastrian mobad (cleric) in Yazd, said festivals in ancient Iran were not merely occasions for celebration but reflected seasonal cycles and ethical, spiritual and civic ideals.

He described Mehregan as one of the two pillars of Iranian culture alongside Nowruz, symbolizing gratitude for the earth’s fertility, fidelity to promises, light, justice and law.

According to Kavusianzadeh, the ceremony includes recitation of the Gathas and prayers, speeches, Gahanbar, readings from the Shahnameh and works by Hafez, Saadi and Rumi, poetry exchanges, and setting the Mehregan table, and poetry by other Iranian writers.

Around 150,000 Zoroastrians live worldwide, including 30,000 in Iran and about 6,000 in Yazd Province.