🔥 Zoroastrian Festival · June 14-18 (annual pilgrimage)
Pir-e Sabz Pilgrimage -- The Green Shrine
Also: Chak Chak, Pir-e Sabz
Significance
Pir-e Sabz (the 'Green Shrine'), also known as Chak Chak for the sound of water dripping inside the mountain grotto, is the most important Zoroastrian pilgrimage site in Iran, located in a cliff face in the desert mountains near Ardakan, Yazd province. Each year in mid-June, thousands of Zoroastrians gather for a five-day pilgrimage. According to tradition, the shrine marks the place where Nikbanou, the youngest daughter of the last Sasanian king Yazdegerd III, fled from the Arab invasion in 640 CE and prayed to Ahura Mazda for protection. The mountain opened and sheltered her. A spring flows eternally from the rock, and a great tree grows at the shrine entrance — green in the midst of desert. The pilgrimage includes communal prayer, fire tending, shared meals, and the renewal of community bonds among Zoroastrians from Iran and the global diaspora.
Traditional observances
- Travel to or spiritually orient toward a sacred place — pilgrimage is the act of seeking the divine in geography
- Light a fire or candle and pray for the preservation of Zoroastrian tradition and community
- Share a communal meal — the Pir-e Sabz pilgrimage centers on fellowship and shared food
- Reflect on what you would protect at all costs — what is your Nikbanou's prayer?
- Pour water as an offering — the spring at Chak Chak is the miracle at the heart of the shrine
