ABSTRACT
The Zoroastrian communities in the diaspora represent the two main branches of the fraternity: Iranian Zoroastrians and Parsis from the Indian sub-continent, domiciled on five continents. Religio-cultural differences between the two groups persist owing to the millennial separation. The impact of migration on the practice of the Zoroastrian faith is coming into view. They are seen primarily as a religious group, almost unknown in the host countries. Zoroastrians are in the process of negotiating their way around the cultural mores and the political systems of their adopted homes. Interaction and innovative measures will continue to be called for, even as the community increasingly acquires a secular Zoroastrian persona. As religious practices and rituals diminish or are reshaped, it could result in a clear divide between their heritage and its modern iteration. In one sense, they are somewhat unique: if people do not recognise who you are, how do you identify yourself? The lack of awareness of one’s existence compounds the dilemma of identity, most pronounced within the diaspora. The changing face of the community is to a large extent the result of the increase in social mobility and is most noticeable in the growing phenomenon of exogamous marriages. Given their abysmally tiny numbers, were this trend to continue, the distinctive Zoroastrian identity would be subsumed through exogamous unions into many fragmented non-Zoroastrian milieux with some speed. When Zoroastrians gather, they often discuss the future and longevity of the community. Survival remains the question.
