- Feb 5, 2002
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An Evening With London’s Zoroastrians
LONDON — It is a cold, dark, wet Sunday night in suburban London.
Having walked through the rain, I am now sitting in a former art deco 1930s movie theater. Before me, there are three masked figures. Dressed all in white robes, they sit on chairs upon a stage. Before them burns a wooden fire in a large brazier.
Above the white-robed figures there is a sign with a threefold imperative: “Good Words, Good Thoughts, Good Deeds.” In seats beside me, watching intently the proceedings, are approximately two dozen people. The heads of all are covered — the men with caps, the women with something resembling white mantillas.
These are Zoroastrians.
One of the oldest religions in the world, Zoroastrianism uses this suburban former movie theater as its only European place of worship.
On my arrival at the London Zoroastrian Centre, the staff could not have been more welcoming or friendly, if perhaps a little bemused as to why a Catholic journalist should brave the elements to attend their ceremony. On contacting the center, I had explained that my interest in their faith and the purpose of visiting was not simply to discuss theology but to explore their perspective on what the Christian world celebrates each Jan. 6 — namely, the pilgrimage and subsequent adoration of the Christ Child by the Magi, as recounted in St. Matthew’s Gospel.
Continued below.
www.ncregister.com
LONDON — It is a cold, dark, wet Sunday night in suburban London.
Having walked through the rain, I am now sitting in a former art deco 1930s movie theater. Before me, there are three masked figures. Dressed all in white robes, they sit on chairs upon a stage. Before them burns a wooden fire in a large brazier.
Above the white-robed figures there is a sign with a threefold imperative: “Good Words, Good Thoughts, Good Deeds.” In seats beside me, watching intently the proceedings, are approximately two dozen people. The heads of all are covered — the men with caps, the women with something resembling white mantillas.
These are Zoroastrians.
One of the oldest religions in the world, Zoroastrianism uses this suburban former movie theater as its only European place of worship.
On my arrival at the London Zoroastrian Centre, the staff could not have been more welcoming or friendly, if perhaps a little bemused as to why a Catholic journalist should brave the elements to attend their ceremony. On contacting the center, I had explained that my interest in their faith and the purpose of visiting was not simply to discuss theology but to explore their perspective on what the Christian world celebrates each Jan. 6 — namely, the pilgrimage and subsequent adoration of the Christ Child by the Magi, as recounted in St. Matthew’s Gospel.
Continued below.
Did You Know ‘Magi’ Exist in the 21st Century?
An Evening With London’s Zoroastrians
