GSMD-500 | Grad Studio 2
Prompt 5: The next step
During the winter break, I noticed that I spent quite a lot of time on WhatsApp, conversing with my friends from back home. Most conversations were about how I was missing out on all the functions and celebrations taking place this winter within ur community.
It was while talking to an extremely close friend of mine, that I thought about sending her a GIF related to a Parsi Ritual, Madhavsaro – Tree-planting ceremony marks the start of a wedding’s preparatory celebrations and takes place four days before the wedding. During the ceremony, the families of the bride and the groom independently plant a young tree at their respective family homes. This ritual is seen as a symbol of fertility for the bride and groom.
Unfortunately, there were no such GIF’s, Emoji’s or even stickers. As a social media volunteer for the World Zoroastrian Congress and the World Zoroastrian Organisation, I would often want to use culturally relevant emojis like the Atash, but nothing would come close.
1.1 – The Analysis:
Disappointed with this lack of imagery to use when communicating through our smart devices, I decided to create a Sticker collection of certain Parsi rituals as well as ones of everyday objects that relate to our community.
To start off I revised the list of rituals and ceremonies we as Parsis celebrate throughout of life, that I designed last semester:
2.1 – Visual Research:
I then went on to collect multiple visuals of Parsi Rituals taking place
2.2 – Inspiration from existing Paksitani stickers:
Designs created by Reema Siddiqui
3 – The Stickers:
Besna:
Once the baby is about six months old and is able to sit on his/her own
Pag Ladoo
The ceremony is done when the child begins to walk on his/her own. A special ladoo is made with rice flour coating and sugary coconut sweet in the middle of it. There are two ladoos that are made in the shape of feet also. The sagan would be done by making the child stand on patlo, where chalk has been put and a red tilo is done with his/her forehead and rice is stuck on it, he/she is made to wear a flower garland, and is given money and gifts and then ovarna is done with rice.
Madhavsaro
Tree-planting ceremony marks the start of a wedding’s preparatory celebrations and takes place four days before the wedding. During the ceremony, the families of the bride and the groom independently plant a young tree at their respective family homes. This ritual is seen as a symbol of fertility for the bride and groom.
Atash
An Atash Behram is the highest grade of a fire that can be placed in a Zoroastrian fire temple as an eternal flame.