Ayathrem

Ayathrem is the fourth Gahambar celebrated by the Zoroastrian community, who honor the six seasons of the year with six Gahambars - the word gahambar means "proper season". Each of these six festivals is celebrated for five days, and each honors one of the six material creations: The heaven, water, earth, flora, fauna and man.

Ayathrem celebrates the creation of plants, the time to sow winter crops, and the season when the herds come home from pasture. It takes place each year from October 12th through the 16th.

Agenda:

1. Recite prayers
2. Make Ghormeh sabzi (beef & herb stew)
3. Sow fava beans and plant garlic

1. Recite Prayers:

The first four days of Ayathrem are devoted to services, and reciting prayers. Zoroastrians turn towards a flame while praying, which symbolizes the fire of creation and the spiritual flame within each of us-- and so I stand before a candle flame to recite the Ashem Vohu (invocation of Asha) from the Avesta (Zoroastrian Book of Common Prayer).

The Ashem Vohu is a prayer with universal appeal. The word Ashem has many meanings: Law, Order, Beauty, Truth, Righteousness, Purity, Freedom. This one word expresses Divine truth, purity of body and mind, and all the beauty of nature. It's a central idea in Zoroastrianism.

This prayer is like a mantra, to be chanted slowly. To hear it recited, go to this link.

ashem vohû vahishtem astî

Truth is the best good. 

ushtâ astî 

It is happiness. 

ushtâ ahmâi hyat ashâi vahishtâi ashem. 

Happiness is to one whose truth (represents) best truth.

2. Make vegetable beef stew:

On the fifth day of a Gahambar, all the community comes together for a potluck feast, with traditional Persian dishes: Papeta-ma-ghosh, Iranian soup, fried bread, ambakalio, cucumber salad, and ajil - a mix of seven different dried fruit and nuts.

The feast is payed for by those who can afford it. Food is prepared together by volunteers, and served by volunteers. Each person either donates food or helps to serve. The feast is a community get-together, when grudges are forgiven and forgotten, and friendships are formed or renewed.

Zoroastrians believe that the smell of good food attracts the Spiritual Beings, and so during the Gahambars spiritual and physical beings are able to eat together.

I made my version of Ghormeh Sabzi, a delicious Persian beef and kidney bean stew, to which I added barley and lots of veggies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2-c. pearl barley
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2-lb. beef stew meat
• 1/4-tsp. turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 carrot
• 1 small potato
• 1 tomato
• green beans
• 16 oz. can red kidney beans
• 2 lemons
• 1 bunch Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp. dried fenugreek leaves
• 5 scallions
• dollop of yogurt

Serves 4

1 - Cook the barley in a small pot, covered with water, for about 30 minutes.

2 - Prepare the veggies: Peel and chop the carrot, potato, tomato, and cut up the green beans. Wash and drain the kidney beans. Juice the lemons.

3 - Chop the onion, and cut the beef into tiny pieces. Add a tablespoon of canola oil to a large soup pot and cook the onion until translucent over medium-high heat, then add the meat. Season with turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cook until browned on all sides, then turn off the heat.

4 - Meanwhile, clean and dry the parsley, and remove the large stems. Chop parsley and scallions very small, and combine with the dried fenugreek. Sauté the herbs, scallions, and dried fenugreek in another pan with 1 tablespoon canola oil, for 5-10 minutes on medium-high heat until wilted, like sautéed greens. 

5 - When all the components are ready, add 2 cups hot water to the soup pot, the barley, cooked herbs, veggies, kidney beans, and lemon juice. Bring to boil, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, and serve with a dollop of thick yogurt.

3. Sow fava beans and plant garlic:
The gahambars are seasonal festivals that originally provided an opportunity for the whole village to get together to share the labor required to finish the tasks of the season; for Ayathrem that is planting the winter crops, so this is the day that I plant fava beans for a winter ground cover, and my winter garlic.