A group sedreh pushi ceremony was recently held at the California Zoroastrian Center in Orange County, where ten young Zoroastrian-born individuals officially entered the community of Behdins and Kushti-wearers.
The ceremony began with the youths and mobeds reciting essential passages from the Avesta in front of the sacred fire at the fire temple. Following the prayers, the participants entered the main hall to the rhythm of the daf and the cheerful applause of those in attendance.
This traditional Zoroastrian ceremony took place on Saturday, Ordibehesht 20, 1404 (May 10, 2025). It opened with group chanting of the Koshti Afzun prayer by the participants and continued with the sacred tying of the Kushti over the Sedreh. Additional Avesta prayers, including Peyman-e Din (Covenant of Faith) and Tandorosti (Blessings of Health), were also recited in unison by the youths and the clergy.
The Sedreh Pushi ceremony was conducted by Mobed Fariborz Shahzadi, Mobed Ashkan Bastani, and Mobedyars Voj Vala, Parviz Manouchehri, Armita Jahaniyan, Noushin Jahangiri, Mitra Moradpour, and Anousheh Bastani. The ten young initiates were:
Pardis Bastani, Arvis Pakseresht, Sasan Khosraviani, Mahsa Salamati, Diba Kasravi, Arad Kasravi, Bahram Mobed, Atousa Nariman, Arvin Vakhshouri, and Arman Yazdani.
Following the Sedreh Pushi ceremony, Mobed Shahzadi extended his congratulations to the newly initiated Kushti-wearers, emphasizing that their decision to join the community of Behdins reflects their spiritual maturity and conscious commitment to the Zoroastrian path.
Arad Kasravi and Diba Kasravi, among the new initiates, spoke of the joy and meaning behind their choice. Honoring the memory of their late father, Mobedyar Arash Kasravi, they shared how embracing the Zoroastrian faith marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives—one guided by the principles of Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds.
The ceremony concluded with heartfelt remarks from Shabnam Pakseresht and Mehrnoush Shahzadi, members of the board of directors, who presented gifts to the new initiates on behalf of the Zoroastrian Association of California (Orange County).
