The religious ceremonies of the Parsis are several and of different types. There are purification ceremonies, initiation ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, ceremonies for the departed, ceremonies for consecration, ceremonies for thanks giving, ceremonies for maintaining the Holy Fire and several inner liturgical ceremonies.

PURIFICATION CEREMONIES

There are four types of purification ceremonies. The first one is the shortest and performed by the layman as well as the priests. It is called the PADIYAB KUSTI. It involves washing one's hands, face and other exposed parts of the body with clean water and then untying and retying the Kussti with accompanying prayers. It has to be performed several times a day. Early in the morning upon rising from the bed - on answering calls of nature, - before taking meals - and before saying prayers.

The second type of purification ceremony is called the NAHN. It consists of a ritual bath where the symbols eating of a pomegranate leaf and nirang ' (consecrated bull's urine) is taken and prayer of penance is recited, followed by a bath. This ceremony has to be performed before the initiation and marriage ceremonies. Also to be performed by women at the end of their period of accouchement. It should be performed during the last 10 days of the year but today very few people follow this practice.

The third purification ceremony is the BARESHNUM ceremony which is performed by priests at the time of their initiation and before undertaking inner liturgical ceremonies. It is also to be undertaken by corpse bearers before joining the profession and after leaving it. This is a nine day ritual purification ceremony. It was intended to be a joint purification cum segregation (a sort of quarantine) for a person coming in contact with people who died of infection. The ceremony has to performed in an open space with no vegetation or trees around. It requires nine pits and the candidate has to go from one to the other with the officiating priest reciting prayers and the candidate having to clean himself from head to food with gaomez sand and consecrated urine and finally water. He has to do this for three days and on the 4th day he has to take a bath. This is repeated 3 times. Thereafter on the 10th day he is deemed to be purified. During this ceremony a dog has to be present.

The fourth type of purification ceremony is called the 'RIMAN' purification which is for who has become polluted by coming into contact with filth from dead bodies. (Riman is similar to the English word 'rheum' meaning serous fluid secreted by mucous glands). The method is slightly different from the Bareshnum but there is no 10 day segregation involved.

INITIATION CEREMONIES

There are two types of Initiation Ceremonies. The first is the initiation of a child into the religion through investiture with a sacred shirt and thread, called the Sudre and Kusti.

The age for investiture is between 7 and 15 years. The ceremony is preceded by a NAHA purification ceremony. The child is then made to sit (facing east) and the officiating priest sits opposite. Other priests may be sitting on the dais also. After reciting the prayer of penance the child and priest stand up and the priest puts on the sacred shirt ceremoniously. (Standing behind the child). They often pray the kusti prayer accompanied with tying of the kusti by the priest. Then the 'articles of Faith' are recited and a final benediction by the priests ends the ceremony.

The second type of initiation ceremony is for initiation into priest - hood. Here there are two stages. The basic initiation and the advanced initiation of priests. In the simple initiation ceremony, the Bareshnum purification ceremony has to be undergone twice. Then a ceremony called 'GEWRA' which lasts for 6 days and involves performing the Yasna takes place. This requires 3 ordained priests. On the final day of the initiation the initiate performs the Yasna Ceremony himself. The initiate is now called a NAVAR .He can perform outer liturgical ceremonies. 

The advanced initiation is for the second degree of priesthood is called the MARTAB. Here the candidate goes through one Baresnum of 10 days on the 11th day performs with another priest the KHUB ceremony. ( A Yasna Ceremony). The next day he has to recite another Yasna Ceremony and at midnight he has to recite the Vendidad Ceremony. He is now qualified to perform any liturgical ceremony.

THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY

Marriage is a sacred duty of the Parsis. The marriageable age was around 15 years but today it has almost doubled. Marriages were generally arranged by the parents but never forced upon the candidates. Today most people prefer to find their own partners. The marriage is preceded by an engagement ceremony a few days earlier. Just before the marriage ceremony the couple have to undergo the NAHN purification ceremony. The couple then come to the stage one by one and are greeted with a welcoming ceremony with egg and coconut, rice and water. The bride and groom are seated facing each other separated by peace of cloth. The priests recite prayers and then fasten the couple's hand with the thread which is passed seven times round the couple as the priests pray. At a signal thereafter the curtain type cloth is dropped and the couple sprinkle rice grains at each other. The significance is that they were separate individuals till now and are united as one from this moment. The couple now sit side by side (the groom on the right of the bride). The main ceremony now begins with senior priest blessing the couple and asking them individually whether they consent to take each other as partners for life. The bride and bridegroom have witnesses who also testify to the marriage. This is followed by a prayer of benediction by both the priests as they throw rice grains over the heads of the couple. The last benediction is a prayer for good health and bodily vigour.

CEREMONIES FOR THE DEPARTED

These comprise of the following. Ritual bath followed by the Sachkar ceremony which binds and isolates the corpse demons. Then the funeral proper in which two priests recite 7 chapters. The body is covered and taken to the lower of silence.

For the last three days special prayers invoking the Angel Sarosh are offered. On the 3rd day in the afternoon an Uthamna ceremony is performed by 6 priests. On the dawn of the 4th day  (i.,e when the soul goes for its judgment) another Uthamna ceremony is performed. The ceremonies are performed upto the 10th day and thereafter every month for the first year. The ceremonies are called the BAAJ/AFRINGAAN/FAROKSHI and SATUM. They are all prayers ceremonies conducted in the Fire Temples by the priests and witnessed by the relatives of the deceased.

MUKTAD CEREMONIES

These are performed during the last 10 days of the year where the fravashis of the dead are remembered with flowers and food. The above mentioned ceremonies are performed.

CONSECRATION CEREMONIES

These ceremonies are performed for the Fires, Fire Temples, Tower of Silence (Where dead are placed) and the Sacred Bull and its urine. These are elaborate ceremonies performed by second degree priests (Martab). Some ceremonies are performed overnight while other take months to complete.

INNER LITURGICAL CEREMONIES

These are also called 'Pav Mahal' ceremonies and can only be performed inside a Fire Temple by second degree priests (Martab). The most important of them is the Yasna Ceremony. The other ceremonies in this category are the Visperad Ceremony, The Vendidad Ceremony, The Nirangdin Ceremony and The Baaj Ceremony.

OUTER LITURGICAL CEREMONIES

These comprise the Afringaan, the farokshi and the satum. These ceremonies are mainly performed in honour of the departed and can be done by first degree (Navar) priests.

THE BOI CEREMONY

This is performed five times a day to keep the consecrated Fires fed with fuel. A first degree priest can perform this ceremony.

THE JASHAN CEREMONY

This is mostly a thanksgiving ceremony or celebration of an important event performed by two or more priest (Navar) and need not be performed in the Fire Temple. People get this ceremony performed in their homes and offices once a year as thanksgiving and benediction. It is generally followed by a celebration with well wishers. It is also celebrated as a festival on certain occasions.

THE NIRANGDIN CEREMONY

A white allbino bull is consecrated and called VARASIYO. This bull must not have a single black spot or hair on it. After consecration it is treated with extreme reverence. 3 to 5 hairs (Varas) from the tail of this bull are cut and tied ceremonially to a gold or silver ring. This is used in the Yasna, Vendidad and other ceremonies.

The urine of this bull is called gaomez and used for washing and cleaning in funeral and other purification ceremonies. When this URINE is consecrated by the NIRANGDIN Ceremony it is called NIRANG and is used in purification and other ceremonies. Whereas the gaomez is used only for washing, the Nirang is actually drunk.

The Nirangdin Ceremony is performed by 2 priests who take the Bareshnum of 9 nights. They perform the Yasna for 6 days and on the 6th day they consecrate a vessel. They collect the urine from the Varasiyo in anotyher pot and pour it in this vessel. Some 30 or 40 bulls are brought in and their urine is taken and added to the vessel. (These additional bulls are neither white nor consecrated.) Another pot is taken then consecrated and filled with water. That night in the Ushahin Gah, the two priests perform a Vendidad Ceremony. The urine is now consecrated and will never go putrid.