This is a photo of my sister during a Zoroastrian ceremony called a Navjote. A Navjote is a religious initiation into the Zoroastrian religion, and is an important part of our culture, equivalent to a Bat-Mitzvah. However, Navjote ceremonies for those joining the world’s oldest monotheistic religion are much more rare; there are only has around 100,000 Zoroastrians left, worldwide.
In this part of the ceremony, my sister has rose petals dropped on her, signifying happiness and prosperity, while the priest recites a prayer known as the Tandarosti.