Pedram Jam
Abstract
Tabari Nowruz’ (Tabari New Year’s Day) is concurrent with Ābrīzān festival, according to what has been mentioned in some lithographical editions of šarḥ-e bīst ...
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Tabari Nowruz’ (Tabari New Year’s Day) is concurrent with Ābrīzān festival, according to what has been mentioned in some lithographical editions of šarḥ-e bīst bāb (Commentary on Twenty Chapters) of Mollā Moẓaffar Gonābādī, in the description of the festival. Such a matter can also be seen in a Zoroastrian manuscript copied in 1718 A.D. (1130 Hijri.). While Abrīzān festival used to be held on the summer solstice up to the first half of 17th century, the notion of a ‘Tabari New Year’s Day’, fixed in early summertime, has led to the assumption of existence of local calendars with fixed years and intercalary days in southern littoral regions of Caspian Sea. This article evaluates the textual authenticity of ‘Tabari Nowruz’ in šarḥ-e bīst bāb and studies the calendrical place of New Year’s Day and epagomenae in the local southern littoral regions of Caspian Sea. It also assesses the modern developments in interpreting this local calendar.
