According to the Shehenshahi Zoroastrian calendar, today is Roj Hormazd of Mah Amardad. Avesta Ameretat or Amardad is the seventh Amesha Spenta – Divine Essence of Ahura Mazda. In the Zoroastrian tradition, each Amesha Spenta has guardianship over a Good Creation of Ahura Mazda, thus representing the presence of the creator in every creation. Ameretat or Amardad represents vegetation. Amardad also embodies the concept and essence of immortality or transcendence.

Reverence Towards All Vegetation

Zoroastrians offer homage to all vegetation out of a deep sense of respect and generally whatever one reveres or respects one tends not to harm or destroy. In the short prayer ‘Homage unto Plants’ we chant, “Nemo urvarayao vanghuyao Mazda-dhatayao ashaonyao” meaning “Homage (be) unto the good (and) holy plants created by Hormazd.” To affirm that plants are good and even holy is to ensure protection of all types of vegetation which is so crucial for maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance in their respective environments.

Vegetation is a vital pillar of Earth’s life-support system, and our survival is deeply connected to the wellbeing of plant life. Every form of vegetation, from deserts to the tundra, plays an essential role. Desert plants prevent soil erosion and stabilize fragile land where life is sparse, maintaining ecological balance. Tundra vegetation sustains unique wildlife adapted to extreme cold, and its protection prevents the release of stored carbon, helping regulate the planet’s climate. As the Dalai Lama cautioned in his 1993 keynote at Chicago’s World Religious Conference, “Destroying trees is a dangerous game we are playing.” Even Article 51A(g) of India’s Constitution urges citizens to protect and improve the natural environment, especially trees.

Healing Vegetation

The Ardibehesht Yasht  refers to five types of healers: “Ashō-baēshazō, dātō-baeshazō, karetō-baēshazō, urvarōbaēshazō, mānthrō-baēshazō; baēshazanām baēshazyōtemō yat mānthrem-spentem-baēshazyō; yō narsh ashaonō hacha uruthwān baēshzyāt, aeshō zī asti baēshazanām baēshazyōtemō” or  “One who heals by means of purification rites or through his own Ashoi or piety (Ashō-baēshazō); one who cures (social ills) by law and justice (dātō-baeshazō); one who heals with the knife like a surgeon (karetō-baēshazō); one who restores health by means of herbs and vegetation (urvarōbaēshazō); and one who heals by means of reciting the mānthra or prayers (mānthrō-baēshazō).”

Why The Pomegranate Tree Is Special

While all vegetation is worthy of homage, Zoroastrians consider the pomegranate tree as very special. It is referred to in the Avesta as Urvaram (Sanskrit Urvara) which means ‘The Tree’ or the tree that represents all sustenance providing vegetation on earth. Little wonder that the pomegranate tree is grown in the compound of virtually every Atash Bahram and Dar-e- Meher in India and Iran.

The pomegranate tree was revered as sacred since ancient Babylonian times. In Zoroastrian tradition, in both Iran and India, the pomegranate symbolizes fertility, abundance and the productive forces of nature, and is therefore cherished as an emblem of prosperity. Its leaves are traditionally chewed during the Nahn (Sanskrit: Snan) ritual bath to purify body and mind. The fruit is used in religious ceremonies and decorates the Navroz table and Sagan ni ses in Zoroastrian homes.

Zoroastrians often press a silver coin halfway into the fruit as a charm for good health and good fortune. Belonging to the Punicaceae family, the pomegranate is an evergreen shrub or small tree, three to eight meters high, with blood-red, life-giving juice and countless seeds that signify fertility and immortality. In Iran, dried pomegranates symbolize blessings. Ancient Zoroastrian texts prescribe that a few drops of the Haoma juice should be put in the mouth of a dying person. However, if Haoma juice is not available, pomegranate juice would be next best substitute.

Medicinal Value: In many Eastern traditions, including Zoroastrianism, any plant with medicinal value is revered as sacred. The Latin name of pomegranate, malum granatum, means grainy apple. The fruit is rich in flavonoids that help protect against heart disease, cancer, and inflammatory conditions. In Chinese medicine, it is considered a fruit of longevity. In India, pomegranate is valued as a powerful food-medicine. Every part of the tree – the roots, reddish-brown bark, leaves, flowers, rind, and seeds – has been used in Ayurveda for thousands of years. The root and stem bark are known for anthelmintic properties that destroy parasitic worms. Pomegranate peel is used to treat diarrhea and dysentery, and villagers often boil the peel for relief from loose motions as an effective household cure.

Cypress Tree: are evergreen conifers, meaning they keep their green, scale-like foliage year-round, shedding old leaves gradually rather than all at once seasonally. Yalda Night (Iranian Winter Solstice) celebrations traditionally involve decorating an evergreen tree, often a cypress tree to symbolize light, life, and resilience against darkness.

Iranian Zoroastrians consider a number of Cypress trees in Iran to be holy and worthy of reverence. Almost every Zoroastrian village in Yazd has a Cypress tree which stands as a guardian and protector of the village. In the courtyard of the Atash Kadeh in the village of Cham (Yazd), there is a Cypress tree that is believed to be around one thousand five hundred years old. A number of legends are associated with this tree.

At Abr-koh near Yazd, in Iran, there is Cypress three which is around five thousand years old. It is protected by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran as a national natural monument and is a major tourist attraction with a height of twenty-five meters (eighty-two feet.) It is likely the oldest living lifeform in Asia.

Sacredness Of Trees In Other Cultures

In Theosophy, trees are believed to radiate universal life, light and love, expressing the idea that the Universe is interconnected through one Consciousness – an insight modern quantum physics appears to support. In Indian mythology, trees hold a place of deep reverence; from Tulsi to Banyan, they are honored with devotion. Gautam Buddha attained Nirvana beneath the Bodhi tree, and noble individuals are often compared to the Banyan that shelters travelers.

The Upanishad declares that everything in existence holds God-consciousness. The Vedas seek blessings from sacred trees such as Bilva, Neem, Banyan, Arasu and Audambar. Even today, saints are believed to bless devotees through trees. Sacred trees are revered globally, including in England, where Druids worshipped them as homes of earth spirits.

Zoroastrian Concept Of Immortality Or Transcendence

To remember someone is to “keep the memory green,” and green symbolizes vegetation, which is presided over by Amardad, the spirit of perpetuity. Amardad signifies immortality and transcendence, and is regarded as the twin of Khordad, meaning perfection or wholesomeness. These qualities are linked, for what is perfect is immortal, and what is immortal is perfect.

Though humans are neither perfect nor immortal, we can create an enduring legacy through our thoughts, words and especially our good deeds. As Bruce Lee said, “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” Nothing in the physical world lasts; change is constant. Yet meaningful memories grant symbolic immortality. Even after millennia, Cyrus the Great is remembered, not for empire, but for his legacy of human rights and values. Asho Zarathushtra is remembered not for miracles that he performed but for his eternal and timeless message of living a purposeful, productive and prosperous life by walking on the path of Asha (truth, righteous conduct and Divine Order) and loving Ahura Mazda as a friend.