The first day of the preliminary round of the Manthra Avesta Recitation and Gatha Studies Gathering took place on Monday, July 14, at the late Yazdani Hall in the religious, cultural, and sports complex of Shiraz. Thirteen participants, competing across various categories, presented selected verses from the Gathas.
In these round competitors in the categories of Ahunavaiti Gatha, Ushtavaiti–Spenta Mainyu Gatha, memorized recitation under age 10, memorized recitation ages 10 to 18, memorized recitation over age 18, and full Gatha recitation. The program began at 6:00 PM, with the host welcoming the audience and officially announcing the start of the Shiraz preliminaries. The opening performance featured thought‑provoking stanzas from the Gathas, recited by Mahbanoo Iraji and Parsa Dehmobed Sharif‑Abadi.
The first group to take the stage was the under‑10 memorized recitation category, with contestants Artemis Esfandiarian, Rata Pourdehi Zeinabad, Sarva Pourdehi Zeinabad, Vania Khosraviani, Viana Khosraviani, and Janan Kavousi Zeinabad. Under the supervision and judging of Azita Ghods, they performed their chosen passages from Ha 28 in the order announced by the host. Their heartfelt recitations captivated the audience. Remarkably, three of these young participants were barely over four years old, and together their ages did not add up to 13. Each time their names were called, they raced toward the stage with boundless excitement, a touching and memorable sight for all.
Next in the full Gatha category, Mahsa Dehmobed Sharifabadi delivered the assigned passages. The over‑18 memorized recitation category followed, with performances by Farnam Iraji, Shahram Pourdehi Zeinabad, and Peyman Goshtasbi. Afterward, Armaiti Kaviani and Aramis Kaviani presented their recitations in the Ushtavaiti–Spenta Mainyu Gatha and 10–18 memorized recitation categories, respectively.
The final performance came from Parsa Dehmobed Sharifabadi in the Ahunavaiti Gatha category, bringing the preliminary round in Shiraz to a close. Judges Farshad Khodadadi, Rashin Jahangiri, and Shervin Kavousi Zeinabad evaluated all performances remotely.
At the end of the participants’ performances, Khosrow Ghods, head of the Zoroastrian Association of Shiraz, expressed gratitude to the attendees and their teachers, the role of parents in the growth and religiosity of their children, and also to the Religious Commission for cooperating in holding this program. He thanked the Zoroastrian Students’ Association for the proper organization and management of three major events—the Martyrs’ Cup, the Zoroastrian Students’ Camp, and the Manthra Avesta Recitation and Gatha Studies Gathering—and said:
“The Zoroastrian Students’ Association is an important and key organization of the Zoroastrian community, which with youthful energy handles important programs, and I hope each year it will act with more success and experience.”
He pointed to the positive changes made every year in holding the Manthra gathering, thanked the Zoroastrian Students’ Association as the organizer of this event, and considered the progress, avoidance of stagnation and monotony, the implementation of new ideas, and attention to suggestions as positive aspects of the gathering.
He also asked the attendees to be actively present in the final stage of the Manthra gathering, and if they could not attend, to remind their friends and acquaintances in Tehran about the time of this valuable event so that there would be no empty halls and seats during it.
At the end, a member of the Zoroastrian Students’ Association presented a commemorative plaque to Khosrow Ghods, head of the Zoroastrian Association of Shiraz, and thanked that association for its cooperation in holding the preliminary round, and the song “Ey Iran, Ey Marz-e Por-Gohar” echoed in the hall as the attendees stood in honor of Iran and sang together.
Before the start of the Manthra preliminary round, from 5:00 PM, Aramis Kaviani, Oshta Nikzad, and Artan Saraei had taken part in the Manthrak section.
