The month of Spendārmed, the day of Spendārmed: On the day of the festival of the women, called Mizdgīrān
On the 5th day (or spendārmed rōz) of the Persian month Spendārmed, there was the feast of Spendārmed (Av. Spәṇtā Ārmaiti), a holy Immortal (or, a goddess) that represents the earth. On this day the Yasna ceremony was performed, and the draona of Seven Amәṣa Spәṇta consecrated.
It was a day on which the wives made requests of their husbands and claimed the satisfaction of their wishes and extravagant demands, and the men used to make the women liberal presents. It was known among the Persians (and Parthians) as the jašn ī mizdgīrān (Parth. jašn cē miždgīrān), i.e., the ‘present-taking feast’. Bērōnī described it as the annual women’s day festival (عيدالنساء ), and stated that this custom was still flourishing in his time at Spāhān, Ray, and in the other districts of Pahlav.
This day was also famous for the charm written on paper pieces, or on the skin of a deer, with saffron water, to ward off the stings of scorpions. According to Bērōnī the Persians fixed three such paper pieces on three walls of the house; and according to a Persian “Rivāyat” the charm was posted on the front door of the house. They also fumigated the house with five things: storax, the horn of a small cattle, frankincense, wild rue, and cotton-seeds. Before inscribing the charm or fumigating the house the Vāz of Aṣa Vahišta was performed. On this day, the special formula of gravel (Nīrang ī Sangrēzag) was consecrated, and gravel or sand was sprinkled in all the corners of the household to repel noxious insects and reptiles.
On this day they painted the doors of the houses, the horns and faces of the cow, sheep and the cock with a red tincture.
On this day they used to eat sun-raisins and the kernels and pomegranates unmoistened and not kneaded with water. They also eat fish.
< by Raham Asha>
nīrang ī zahr bastan
(From Pahlavi Texts (Bombay, 1913), 84 ; K 27, fol. 6v ; Supplément persan 2044, 69 .)
māh spendarmed ud rōz spendarmed, ud rōz spendarmed ud māh spendarmed, ud spendarmed māh spendarmed rōz, bast-am zahr ud gāl ud zafar ī hamāg xrafstarān, ped nām ud nērōg ī nēv Frēdōn, ud ayyārīh ī Vanand star ī ohrmazddād. vābarīgān ravāg bād. ēdōn bād! aṣәm.
bēšaz bād!
[xrafstar zadan xvandan]
English
A Pārsī description of the day Spendārmed of the month Spendārmed and the Nīrang of that day
(LI.2, 402 (B.U.L., Mumbai); R 115.1 (COIL, Mumbai): 295-96; T 31 (Navsari): 53; F 7 (Navsari): 188-89. M. U. : Dārāb Hormazyār’s Rivāyat, M. R. Unvālā, Bombay, 1922, I: 526. See also The Persian Rivāyats of Hormazyār Frāmarz, B.N. Dhabhar, Bombay, 1932: 341.)
Persian text Kāmdēn Šābūr
English
pārsīg
ped nām ī dādār Ohrmazd
rōz spendarmed az māh spendarmed bast-um zafar ī hamāg xrafstarān, dēvān ud druzān, jādūgān ud perīgān, sāstārān, kaykān ud karbān, vināhgārān ud duzān, gurgān, stahmagān. ped nām ī yazd. ped nām ī nēv Frēdōn. ped nām ī Tištar stārag. ped nām ī Sadvēs. ped nām ī Vanand stāragān. ped nām ī avēšān stāragān Haftōring.
aṣәm vohū vahištәm astī uštā astī uštā ahmāi hyat aṣāi vahištāi aṣәm◦
English
Another description
(15. LI.2: 402-3. M. U. I: 527. T 31 (Navsari): 53. See also Dhabhar, op. cit.: 342.)
persian text Kāmdēn
<ēn xšnūman ī Spendarmed amehrspend bē rasād!>
ahurahe mazdå raēvatō xvarәnaŋvhatō amәṣanąm spәṇtanąm spәṇtayå vaŋhuyå ārmatōiš rātayå vaŋhuyå vouru.dōiθrayå mazdaδātayå aṣaonyå
drōn ī haft amehrspend
(M. U. I: 525-26. R 110 (COIL, Mumbai): 288-295: Bāj i haft amšāsfend (humata hūxta dā hukunišni ēn xšnūman ī haft amešāspend vīspaēšąm ardā fravaš bē rasād). See also J.J. Modi, “An old manuscript of the Kitāb-i Darûn Yasht”, Cama Oriental Institute Papers, Bombay, 1928: 21. See also Āfrīnagān ī haft amešāspend (M. U. I: 371-72)
Persian text
miθrahe vouru.gaoyaoitōiš rāmanasca xvāstrahe
aṣahe vahištahe āθrasca ahurahe mazdå puθra]
bәrәzatō ahurahe nafәδrō apąm apasca mazdaδātayå]
amahe hutāštahe ◦ dā ◦ vīspaēšąm ◦ dā ◦ nabānazdištanąm fravaṣinąm aoxtō.nāmanō yazatahe xvarәθәm myazdәm: daθušō ahurahe mazdå ◦ dā ◦ amәṣanąm spәṇtanąm
pas: amahe <◦ dā ◦ myazdәm>
āθrō ◦ dā ◦ yazatahe pas: amahe
apąm vaŋvhīnąm ◦ dā ◦ mazdaδātanąm pas: amahe
hvarә.xšaētahe ◦ dā ◦ aurvat .aspahe pas: amahe
nīrang ī sangrēzag yaštan
(F 7 (Navsari): 203-207, 498-504; F 59 (Navsari): 322. J.J. Modi, “Nirang-i-Jashan-i-Burzigarān”, op. cit.: 127-30; Edalji K. Antiâ, Pâzend Texts, Bombay, 1909: 179-80. See also T 3 (Navsari): 83-5.)
ped nām ī yazdān Ohrmazd xvadāy abzōnīg, gurz ud xvarrah abzāyād, Spendārmed amešāspend bē rasād! az hamāg vināh petit pašīmān hum ◦ dā ◦ ped petit hum.
xšnaoθra ahurahe mazdå ◦ dā ◦ staomi aṣәm
aṣәm vohū se
fravarāne ◦ dā ◦ hāvanә e frasastayaēca [ahurahe mazdå raēvatō xvarәnaŋvhatō amәṣanąm spәṇtanąm]
spәṇtayå vaŋhuyå ārmatōiš ratayå vaŋhuyå vouru.dōiθrayå mazdaδātayå aṣaonyå
xšnaoθra ◦ dā ◦ vīδvå mraotū[ahurәm mazdąm raēvaṇtәm xvarәnaŋvhantәm yazamaide
amәṣā spәṇtā huxšaθrā huδåŋhō yazamaide]
spәṇtąm vaŋvhīm ārmaitīm yazamaide
rātąm vaŋvhīm vouru.dōiθrąm mazdaδātąm aṣaonīm yazamaide
māh spendārmed rōz spendārmed, rōz spendārmed māh spendārmed, spendārmed māh spendārmed rōz, bast-әm zahr ud aš ud zafar ī hamāg xrafstarān. ped nām nērōg ī nēv Frēdōn, ayyārīh ī Vanand star ī ohrmazddād. vābarīgān ravāg bād! [ēdōn bād] aṣәm. baēšaza bād! zanәm ōzanәm gunāh guzārišn kirbag ruvān dōšarm rāy.
yaθā ahū vairyōaθā ratuš aṣāt̰cīt̰ hacā vaŋhə̄uš dazdā manaŋhō śyaoθәnanąm◦
aŋhə̄uš mazdāi xšaθrәmcā ahurāi.ā yim drigubyō dadat vāstārәm
vāz: Ohrmazd xvadāy abzōnīg mardōm ◦ dā ◦ nēkīh rasēnād! ēdōn bād!
yaθā ahū vairyō do
yasnәmca ◦ dā ◦ āfrīnāmi spәṇtayå vaŋvhyå ārmatōiš ratayå vouru.dōiθrayå mazdaδātayå aṣaonyå
aṣәm vohū ēk
ahmāi raēšca ◦ dā ◦ kirbag mizd
From a Pārsī treatise about the Persian festivals
(F 61 (Navsari): 97)