A Parsi Zoroastrian Wedding
The Types of Marriage: Bernard describes five types of marriage in the culture of the Parsi. First is the marriage of children, then “widowers with a second wife.” Next is the marriage that occurs when “a woman marries one of her own free choice, and without the least recommendation of any of her friends.” Then there is the marriage of someone who has died “in celibacy.” In this case, the dead are still married, because “the married state is of all others the most happy in the other world.” Finally, there is “marriage of adoption,” which appears to be when the father of the groom takes the bride under his care. It is unclear which type Picart is attempting to illustrate—perhaps an amalgamation of many of them.
The Rice: A large bowl of rice sits at the center of the Parsi marriage ritual. Bernard writes, “the relations have their hands full of rice, which is an emblem of fruitfulness… a plentiful quantity of rice is thrown over their heads.” Rice throwing is thought to have begun with the ancient Romans, and is a wedding tradition that still happens often today. Interestingly, this is the only time when Bernard and Picart mention rice, specifically, being thrown at the newlywed couple; other religions and cultures threw plants and candy.
The Temple and the Fire: Per Bernard, Parsi weddings took place late at night, so it was imperative to have a fire lit so that the witnesses could see the wedding happen. Fires and fire temples are significant to Zoroastrians, so Bernard and Picart may have been trying to emphasize this in the actual wedding ceremony. Weddings also take place in Zoroastrian temples, which Bernard calls a church. Non-Zoroastrians are not allowed in Zoroastrian temples, so Picart’s depiction of the temple setting is likely a created illustration.