Welcome back!
I was wondering, what does the day in the life of an average zoroastrian look like? Are there daily prayers?
Thank you, it’s nice to be back! Hope all is okay with you.
There are indeed daily prayers. We pray at different periods during the day (referred to as gāh-s, there are five in total with corresponding obligatory gāh prayers). Prayers are compiled within the Khordeh Avesta. We always ensure to face a source of light when we pray.
Some of these prayers accompany a certain ritual. For example:
Pādyāb-kusti is one of the most common acts of daily worship -> this involves cleansing/ablution with water, and the untying and re-tying of the Kustīg thread around our waists (the Kusti itself has spiritual significance). Prayers that are uttered during this include: xšnaothra ahurahe mazdāo, kem nā mazdā, ašem vohu and the ahunvār/ahuna vairya (the latter two constitute part of the Gathic manthras), during the process of re-tying the thread one also recites ohrmazd xvadāy and jasa mē avaŋhe mazdā (this is the declaration of faith)
