worship and prayer of zoroastrianism

Zoroastrian worship is not prescriptive. Its followers can choose whether they wish to pray and how.

Communal worship is usually centred around seasonal festivals  because the Zoroastrians have many, but there are other opportunities for worshipers to gather, such as the Navjote, the initiation ceremony where a child is accepted into the Zoroastrian fellowship.


Prayers:

Zoroastrians traditionally pray several times a day. Some wear a kusti, which is a cord knotted three times, to remind them of the maxim, 'Good Words, Good Thoughts, Good Deeds'. They wrap the kusti around the outside of a sudreh, a long, clean, white cotton shirt. They may engage in a purification ritual, such as the washing of the hands, then untie and then retie it while reciting prayers.Prayers are said facing the sun, fire or other source of light representing Ahura Mazda's divine light and energy.

Prayers are said facing the sun, fire or other source of light representing Ahura Mazda's divine light and energy.

 THE  ETERNAL FLAME:

Zoroastrians turn towards a flame  or a source of light while praying. At the heart of a Zoroastrian place of worship burns a fire and where possible the fire burns continuously symbolizing an eternal flame. 

The temporal fire represents the spiritual flame,mainyu athra, within us and the ethical values of Asha: order, beneficence, honesty, fairness and justice.Fire represents many ideas and ideals of the faith. Fire is a source of light and light represents wisdom while darkness represents ignorance. Ignorance and darkness are the absence of wisdom and light.