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9.8.1.1.2.8
The Fasli Split |
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In A.D. 1906, Mr. Khurshedji Cama was troubled by the fact that the New Year did not fall in the spring at the vernal equinox and founded the Zarthosti Fasli Sal Mandal, or Zoroastrian Seasonal Year Society, a group with the aim of persuading the Zoroastrian community to adopt a reformed calendar with a fixed spring New Year (No Ruz) and a leap day every four years. Cama apparently was convinced that the original Zoroastrian calendar had originally stayed in synchronization with the seasons and concluded that the original calendar necessarily employed a quadrennial intercalation of one day. The members of the group, called Faslis, increased their numbers slowly. |
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While in India, Kay Khosrow was impressed by arguments in favor of the fasli calendar and viewed its adoption as a means of bringing the Zoroastrian calendar in line with the solar calendar adopted in Iran in A.D. 1925. In A.D. 1939, after years of work, the reformers persuaded the entire Irani community to adopt the fasli calendar, called by them the bastani or ancient one. After a short time, the people of Yazd, led by their priests, reverted to the old qadimi calendar. |
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Thus, since A.D. 1940, the tiny Irani community has two calendars the Tehranis and Kermanis observe No Ruz in March, and the Yazdis observe it in July (currently). The Parsis in India, meanwhile, continue to have three calendars the Kadmi and Fasli of Iran, plus the Shenshai which currently places No Ruz in August. |
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Thus, there are currently three Zoroastrian calendars in use: |
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Kadmi (also called Qadmi or Kudmi) |
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Shenshai (also called Shahinshah or Shensoy) |
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The first two calendars are intended to date from the accession of the last Sasanid ruler of the Persian empire. The epoch normally accepted is A.D. 632 June 16. |
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9.8.1.1.2.9
Reconstruction |
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The outlines of the Shenshai and Kadmi calendars can be reconstructed using available information. |
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9.8.1.1.2.9.1
The Shenshai Calendar |
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First, some equivalent dates known from published sources are: |
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| Western Date | Shenshai Date | | 1996 August 22 | 1 Farvardin 1366 | | 1995 August 23 | 1 Farvardin 1365 | | 1992 August 23 | 1 Farvardin 1362 | | 1938 September 6 | 1 Farvardin 1308 |
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