According to the Zoroastrian (Shehenshahi) calendar, our holy Fravardegan or Muktad days will begin next week from Thursday, 6^th July, 2026. It is believed that during this period, the fravashi of the righteous dead, come to visit us from the spiritual world and bless all those who remember and pray for them.

Theologically Fravahar or Fravashi is the Divine essence, which is wholly pure and good. It is not to be confused with the Ruwan or soul. The term Fravashi is derived from the word Fra (to take forward) and vaksh (to grow). In other words, Fravashi is that spiritual quality, essence or energy that takes every good creation of Ahura Mazda forward and helps it grow.

Remembering Our Dearly Departed

Across various cultures and religious traditions, there are special days for remembering the departed and Zoroastrianism is no exception. Death ends a physical life, but need not end a relationship. Remembering those who have passed on affirms that love and influence outlive earthly existence, and that devotion transcends death. It nurtures gratitude by acknowledging parents, relatives, teachers, and friends whose kindness shaped our lives. Beyond material legacies, they leave values that inspire courage, compassion, integrity, and resilience. Reflecting on their example encourages us to honour them through our own conduct. Those who forget their ancestors risk forgetting themselves, for family history, traditions, language, customs, and faith are preserved across generations through remembrance, ensuring their wisdom continues guiding future generations.

Healthy remembrance also allows grief to mature into gratitude. Instead of focusing solely on loss, it celebrates a life that is well lived and acknowledges that those we loved continue to influence us through memories, values, and example. Therefore, remembering the spiritual qualities of our dear departed helps to take us to spiritually go forward (Fra) and grow (vaksh.)

During Muktad, Zoroastrians welcome the Fravashi (the spiritual quality, essence or energy) of the righteous with prayers, flowers, purity, and devotion. However, the most pleasing offering to the Fravashi of our dear departed is a life lived in accordance with Asha – truth, righteous conduct and harmony. The ceremonies remind us that our dear departed, we the living and those yet to be born are all linked in an unbroken chain that connects the past, present, and future generations.

We remember the departed not because they need our memories, but because we need their wisdom. Their voices may have fallen silent, yet their values and wisdom can continue to speak through our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. As long as we embody the goodness that they inspired, they remain present, not merely in our remembrance, but in the way we choose to live.Top of Form

Care for the living

Loving and valuing people while they are alive is definitely a greater moral responsibility. Remembrance after death is meaningful, but it should never become a substitute for love, care, and appreciation during life.

Essentially care for the living and remembrance of our dear departed are not opposites. Both complement each other. While our loved ones are still with us, they can hear our words of gratitude. They can benefit from our kindness and support. We can seek forgiveness, reconcile differences, and create memories together. Our love has the power to comfort, heal, and transform their lives. However, once the loved one departs, we can no longer express our love directly to them in the same way that we could while they were alive. What remains is gratitude, remembrance, prayer, and living out the values they cherished.

From a Zoroastrian perspective, caring for the living is particularly relevant. The Zoroastrian faith places great emphasis on good thoughts, good words, and good deeds in the present. Caring for one’s parents, family, community, and those in need is a living expression of Asha (truth and righteousness). Muktad ceremonies honour the Fravashi of the departed, but they do not diminish the obligation to serve and love the living. Indeed, the righteous Fravashi are honoured most by righteous conduct of we the living ones.

There is a beautiful irony in human nature: we often praise people at memorials for qualities we seldom acknowledged while they were alive. We bring lavish flowers at after death ceremonies but forget to give flowers to those who can still enjoy them. We speak moving words after death that could have brought joy if spoken earlier.

Perhaps the deeper lesson in all this is to remember the departed with gratitude, but love the living with urgency. The finest tribute we can pay to those who have gone before us is not only to remember them, but also to cherish those who are still here, before memory is all that remains.

In that sense, remembrance of the dead should make us better at loving the living! If Muktad inspires us to call an elderly parent or relative, thank a teacher, forgive a sibling, or spend time with a friend, then it has fulfilled one of its deepest purposes.

Symbolic Significance of Flowers

Flowers are of symbolic significance to both the living and the departed. Flowers symbolize the beauty of life. They bloom beautifully but only for a short time, reminding us that human life, too, is precious and fleeting. Their impermanence encourages us to cherish life while it lasts.

During Muktad, flowers hold deep spiritual significance. Fresh blooms, placed in spotless vases, symbolise purity, reverence and remembrance. They are carefully tended each day, with fresh water replacing the old, reflecting the Zoroastrian emphasis on cleanliness, devotion and mindful care. Their fragrance and beauty transform the Muktad hall into a sanctuary of serenity, reminding us that even in remembrance of death, life continues to bloom with hope and grace.

Yet, the finest flowers we can offer our departed are those that blossom within our own character. The greatest tribute lies beyond rituals alone. When we embody the virtues they lived by, their legacy truly lives on. A generous parent is honoured through a generous child, and a beloved teacher through a student who inspires others.

Time for Reflection

Muktad is thus, not a time for grief but for reflection and remembrance, a time for honouring the legacy of our loved ones which is etched in our mind and heart. One of physical life’s inexorable tenets is, nothing lasts forever. Physical life ends, sooner or later. And, yet, those who survive must find new meaning to life and make a new beginning. One of the best ways to find new meaning to life after the loss of a loved one is to continue leading a meaningful life with renewed purpose and productivity and give a new lease of life to the legacy of our dearly departed.

We can find comfort during the Muktad days by doing what our loved ones cared for, thus meaningfully honouring their memory. Finding a sense of purpose by getting involved in activities that they enjoyed and supporting the causes that they championed can provide solace and help us connect with the legacy of our loved ones.