Benediction (Pers. āfrīn ‘blessing, praise, benediction’, Av. āfrivana- nt., Parth. āfrivan, Sogd. āfrivən < *ā-fri-u̯ana-) and benediction texts had an important role in both civil and religious ceremonies in the Aryan society since ancient times (the Yasna 53, one of Zoroaster’s Gāθās, is evidently a wedding song.) An ancient benediction text, called āfrīn ī vazurgān ‘Praise of the Great Ones’ are still recited in Zoroastrian wedding ceremonies.
Numerous benediction texts survive in Iranian languages, from (late) Avestan to Middle Persian, Sogdian and New Iranian languages. Here we aim to provide an edition of these texts with an English translation.
āfrīn ī vazurgān | The Praise of the Great Ones (ĀfV) āfrīn ī sūr | A Banquet Speech (ĀfS) āfrīn ī myazd | The Benediction of ritual repast (ĀfM)sar soxan ī āfrīn ī šaš gāhāmbār | Preface to the ĀfŠGāfrīn ī Zardušt | Zoroaster’s Praise (ĀfZ)āfrīnagān ī gāhāmbārhamāgzōr ī dahmānāfrīn ī sīh-rōzag | The blessing of the thirty days of the monthrōznāmag (az handarz ī Ādurbād) | From HĀMWedding ceremonies and marriage contracts
āfrīn ī rōzān — آفرین روزان.pdf300.2KB
On Gāhāmbārs, From the Sad-dar B, 50.pdf458.8KB
Tīr and TīragānThe month of Spendārmed, the day of SpendārmedOn the calendar of Persian festivals according to Bērōnī’s Canon Masudicusdāšnīhā ī Mihragān ud Nōgrōz | The Gifts of Mihragān & Nōgrōz - From Kitāb al-Tāj cim ī nōgrōz | The significance of the New Year (nōgrōz) — From TD 26
The virtues of Nōgrōz and Mihragān - From the Kitāb al-maḥāsin waʾl-aḍdāddo soxan abar may ud kirbag | Two Sayings about Wine and Good deed
An account of some Persian festivals (in Persian).pdf2343.8KB