IOverview
Kadmi, or Qadimi in Persian spelling, is the name of the Parsi group that follows the calendar they hold to be the ancient and correct one, the calendar in use in Iran in the 18th century. The Arabic qadim means old or ancient. Their New Year falls exactly one month before that of the Shahenshahis.
Like the Shahenshahis, the Kadmis are not a sect. The Encyclopaedia Iranica notes that the two share the same theology and differ only in minor ritual details such as the pronunciation of prayers and purity requirements for priestly initiation. In Iran the Qadimi was the traditional calendar before many switched to the Fasli, and the Sharifabadis of Yazd still keep it.
IIHistory
According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica, early in 1721 the priest Jamasp Vilayati came from Kerman to Surat to answer questions on law and ritual, and together with the dasturs of Surat, Navsari and Bharuch found the two calendars a month apart. In 1736 a layman versed in astronomy named Jamshid came from Iran and spent three years in Surat teaching Dastur Kaus Fardunji Monajjem. In 1745 Monajjem's group adopted Iran's calendar by dropping a month, and he became the first Kadmi dastur.
From 1767 to 1780 a Bombay merchant sent the priest Kaus Jalal to Iran for twelve years to study intercalation. On his return he became the first Kadmi dastur of the Dadiseth Atash Behram in Bombay, consecrated in 1783. In 1782 and 1783 clashes between the two groups led to deaths and imprisonments. His son Mulla Feroze, who died in 1830, helped reconcile the two sides.
- 1721Jamasp Vilayati in SuratA priest from Kerman points out the one-month gap.
- 6 June 1745Qadimi calendar adoptedKaus Fardunji Monajjem's group in Surat switches calendars.
- 1767 to 1780Kaus Jalal studies in IranTwelve years of study on intercalation.
- 1782 to 1783Kabisa clashesDisputes between the groups with deaths and imprisonments.
- 1783Dadiseth Atash BehramA Kadmi temple in Bombay, with Kaus Jalal as its first dastur.
IIIHow the Calendar Works
The Qadimi calendar has the same frame as the Shahenshahi: twelve months of thirty days, five Gatha days, 365 days, no leap day. The only difference is that it runs exactly one month ahead. According to English Wikipedia, year 1370 of the Yazdegirdi era began on 22 July 2000 in the Qadimi reckoning and on 21 August in the Shahenshahi. Since neither has a leap day, the one-month gap stays fixed while both drift against the seasons.
Misconception: the Kadmi and Fasli calendars are the same, since both are linked to Iran. In fact: the Qadimi has no leap day and drifts, whereas the Fasli has a leap day and keeps New Year at the spring equinox. In Iran today most follow the Fasli, and only some groups, such as the Sharifabadis of Yazd, keep the Qadimi.
IVObservances and Daily Life
Kadmis celebrate their New Year, Kadmi Navroz, around July, a month before the Shahenshahi New Year. Muktad, the six Gahambars and Khordad Sal all come a month earlier accordingly. In daily life Kadmis and Shahenshahis intermarry and share neighbourhoods and councils. The clearest marker is the temple, since each fire temple keeps its rites by one calendar. The Dadiseth Atash Behram in Mumbai is a Kadmi temple.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The Kadmis have no organisation beyond the temples and priests that follow their calendar. In India they are concentrated in Surat, Bharuch and Mumbai. The Encyclopaedia Iranica records that about 15 percent of Parsis followed Iran's calendar in the early 20th century and only about 7 percent by the early 1970s. The library has found no more recent figure. Among well-known Kadmis, Iranica names Kharshedji Rustamji Cama (1831 to 1909), a Bombay scholar and philanthropist.
VIIn Vietnam
No followers of the Kadmi calendar are recorded in Vietnam.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Zoroastrianism
Parsisપારસી ParsiDescendants of Zoroastrians who left Iran for Gujarat over a thousand years ago.
Iranian Zoroastriansزرتشتیان ZartoshtiyanZoroastrians who remained in Iran, centred in Yazd, Kerman and Tehran, with a Council of Mobeds in Tehran.Iranis (India)IraniZoroastrians who came from Qajar Iran to British India in the 19th and early 20th centuries, still speaking Zoroastrian Dari.Uses the common symbol of the pathShahenshahi calendar groupShahanshahi, ShenshaiFollowers of the traditional Indian Parsi calendar, the majority among Parsis.Uses the common symbol of the pathKadmi (Qadimi) calendar groupQadimi, KadmiA section of Parsis adopted the Qadimi calendar in 1745.Uses the common symbol of the pathFasli calendar groupFasli, called Bastani in IranA seasonal calendar with a leap day, proposed in 1906 and widely adopted in Iran after 1930 and in the West.Uses the common symbol of the pathReformist ZoroastriansReformistA tendency since the mid-19th century that takes the Gathas as the core and treats much ritual law as later accretion.Uses the common symbol of the pathIlm-e-KhshnoomIlm-e KhshnoomAn esoteric school started by Behramshah Shroff in India after 1875, teaching reincarnation and vegetarianism and keeping strict ritual observance.Uses the common symbol of the pathZoroastrian revival in Iraqi KurdistanZardeshti (Kurdish)A Kurdish revival movement officially recognised by the Kurdistan Regional Government in August 2015, with a fire temple in Sulaymaniyah.Uses the common symbol of the pathZurvanismZurvanA Sasanian-era tendency that made Infinite Time the source of both Ohrmazd and Ahriman.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Are Kadmi and Qadimi the same?
Yes. Qadimi follows the Arabic and Persian spelling, Kadmi is the usual Parsi pronunciation. Both refer to the same calendar and the same group.
When is the Kadmi New Year?
Around July, exactly one month before the Shahenshahi New Year. Since the calendar has no leap day, the date moves one day earlier every four years.
Do Kadmis believe differently from Shahenshahis?
No. According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica, the two share the same theology and differ only in minor ritual details such as prayer pronunciation and purity requirements for priestly initiation.