We find an account about the offering of presents on the days of the festivals of Mihragān and Nōgrōz in the Book of the Crown, written by a Persian scribe of the 8th century (but falsely attributed to Jāḥiẓ). It is based on a Pārsīg text of the Sasanian times. In it we read that: The feast of Nōgrōz marks the summer solstice, and the feast of Mihragān the winter solstice.
Here is the Pārsīg rendering of the Arabic text — by Raham Asha, and its English translation.
pārsīg
ped Mihragān ud Nōgrōz sazed ō išxan dāšn frāz burdan, cē ē do do āvām ī sāl daxšagēnend. Mihragān nimāyed abarrasišnīh ī zimestān ud āvām ī sard; ud Nōgrōz nivēyened frāzāyišnīh ī (hāmin ud) āvām ī garm. bē Nōgrōz rāy kār ud dādestān andcand ast ī Mihragān rāy nēst, ēdōn cōn pedīriftārīh kirdan ī sāl, ud višādan ī harāg, ud gumārdan ī kirdārān ud guhrīg kirdan, ud zadan ī drahm ud dēnār, ud pākīzag kirdan ī ādurān, ud peššixtan ī āb, ud pārag yaštan, ud bun abgandan ī xān ud mān, ud abārīg ī az ēn šōn. ēd rāy Nōgrōz abar az Mihragān.
sazed kū išxan dāšn stāned az vāspuhrān ud amaragān. u-šān ēvēn ēd kū harv kas hān xvāstag ī xvēš frāz bared ī-š vēš dōšed ka-š gāh abarīg baved. ka mušk dōšed mušk frāz bared ud nē anī tis; ud ka ambar dōšed, ambar frāz bared; ud ka peymōzan ud jāmagdār, peymōg ud vastarg frāz bared; ud ka mard-ē ast andar gurdān ud asvārān, ped ēvēn asp frāz bared ayāb nēzag ayāb šamšēr; ud ka kamāndār, ped ēvēn tigr ud kantigr frāz bared; ud ka xvāstagumand, ped ēvēn zarr ayāb asēm frāz bared; ud ka ēk az kirdārān ī išxan, u-š māndag ī pārsāl pardaxtan abāyed, māndag gird kirdan ud andar hambān ī parniyān cīnīg kirdan ped bann ī asēmēn ud vannag ī abrēšumēn ud muhr ī ambarēn, ā-š aviš frēstīdan. andar kirdārān ōy kē kāmed xvad ped hunar ī-š hu-uzēnagīh peyrāstan ayāb ped hunar ī-š hu-kirdārīh ayāb tōzišn ī-š zēn, ēdōn hamē kuned.
srōdbar srōd frāz bared, ud soxangar soxan, ud hamnišast dāšn grān ud nē-dīdag ud zeryōn ī nōgbar.
bānūgān ī išxan ud peristārān ī ōy ō išxan hān frāz barišn ī-š vēš dōšend u-š vehdar dārend –hān cōn azabar abar mardān guft. zan-ē andar bānūgān ī išxan ka-š peristār-ē ast ud dāned kū išxan rāy abar ōy ārzōg ast ud pediš rāmišnīg baved, ēg-iš ped bavandag dīdišn ud abardum peyrāyag ud pahlum brahmag aviš frāz barišn. ka ēdōn kuned, sazed kū-š xvadāy andar bānūgān frāzdar dāred, u-š gāh vāspuhragān dahed, u-š burzišn abzāyed, cē xvadāy abāyed dānistan kū hān zan xvadāy rāy az xvad vidašt, u-š baxt hān ī pediš xvēštan rād nē, u-š ped rādīh dād hān ī bē andak zanān enyā ped kām nē dahend.
darīgān ud vāspuhrān ka dāšn ō išxan frāz barend vahāg-išān ped peymān arzēnend. ka dāšn cand arz bēvar vahāg arzed ped dīvān ī vāspuhragān nibēgēnend. ud agar xvēšdār (ī hān dāšn) rāy cašm ō āyaft baved, ayāb ped pay ī sūd burdan baved, pas agar-š ō xvāstag niyāz ōftād hān ī ka-š pedyārag-ē bē jahed, ayāb ka-š xān ud mān-ē dištan ped dast gīred, ayāb ka-š kāmād sūr-ē virāstan, ayāb ka-š abāyād myazd ī kadagxvadāyīh ī pusar ī xvēš rāyēnīdan ayāb duxt ī vayūdag ō mān ī šūy vazēnīdan, ēg xvāstag ī ōy ped dīvān andar nigerānd —kas gumārd ēsted kē ēn ud hāvand hamāg vizurd nibēsed ud dāred—; pas agar vahāg ī dāšn bēvar arzed, ā do bēvar ō ōy bē dahend kū dā ped kār ī-š niyāz zaned.
ka mard-ē tigr-ē frāz burd būd, ayāb drahm-ē, ayāb sēb-ē, ayāb vādrang-ē, ud ē-z rāy frāz burd būd cē-š ped dīvān nibīgēnīd hād ud išxan āgāhēnīd hād rōz-ē rāy ka-š pedyārag-ē jast baved. pas xvadāy abāyed frayādēnīdan, agar ōy asvār, ayāb darīg, ayāb viyāxan, ā ō xvadāy peygām barend kū ōy rāy andar dīvān tigr-ē ast ayāb drahm-ē ayāb vādrang-ē ayāb sēb-ē. xvadāy framāyed hān vādrang abar griftan u-š ped dēnār virāstag āgandan u-š ō ōy frēstīdan; hamēdōn ō sēbdār ham cand framāyed dādan kū ō vādrangdār. bē tigrdār rāy tigr az ganz bē āvurdan —ud abar hān ī tigr nām ī ōy —, ud tigr abar zamīg nišāstan, u-š kanār jāmagīhā ī išxan ud abārīg peymōg cīdan. ud ka ul āyend dā drust ō tēg ī tigr, ēg-iš xvēšdār frāz xvandan, ud jāmagīhā hamāg ō ōy dādan.
kē ped Nōgrōz ud Mihragān dāšn ō išxan frāz bared, xvard ayāb stabr, vas ayāb andak, ud az išxan tis-iz pādāšn nē vinded, cē ped cārag kirdan ī anāgīh, cē ped varzīdan ī frēzvānīh, abāyed kū ō dīvān ī išxan šaved ud xvad āyāsēned vistār nē būdan ped zīndag dāštan ī ēvēn ud peyvann ī dād (ud dēn) dāštan. ud agar vistār baved ped jastag, ayāb hiled ped nigerišn, ā ped ēvēn ī šāh rōzīg ī ōy šaš māh bē zinend ud ō dušmen ī ōy bē dahend —agar ōy rāy dušmen-ē bed—, kū hambun-z vizend ō šāh mā rasād, nē-z tabāhīh andar šahriyārīh.
Ardašēr ī Pābagān ud Vahrām Gōr ud Husrō Anōšervān framūd ped Mihragān ud Nōgrōz harv peymōg ī andar ganz bē āvurdan, ud hamāg andar nazdīkān ī šāh ud vāspuhragān baxtan, anīz andar abārīg mardōmān pedisāy cē-šān pāyag.
u-šān guft kū: ped zimestān šāh az jāmag ī hāminīg abēniyāz, ud ped hāmin az jāmag ī zimestānīg. ud peymōg andar ganz nihuftan nē xēm ī xvadāyān, agar nē ped kunišn hāvand ī amaragān bavend.
ped rōz ī Mihragān, išxan jāmag ī nōg peymōzed kirdag az xaz ud vašīg ud vaftag do-pūd (ped tār ī abrēšum ud pūd ī nax). pas jāmagīhā ī hāminīg baxšed cōn azabar āyād kird.
ka rōz ī Nōgrōz baved, jāmag ī sabuk ud namrag peymōzed, ud framāyed jāmagīhā ī zimestānīg baxtan.
English
It is fitting to proffer gifts to the king on (the feasts of) Mihragān and Nōgrōz, for these two mark the seasons of the year. Mihragān marks the coming of winter and the cold season; and Nōgrōz announces the coming of summer and the hot season. But for Nōgrōz there are properties that Mihragān lacks, such as welcoming the (new) year, releasing the tax, appointment and substitution of the employees, coining the drachma and denarius (coins), cleaning the fire-temples, sprinkling of water, consecrating sacrifices, founding of houses, and other things of this kind. For this, Nōgrōz is superior to Mihragān.
It is fitting that the king takes gifts from the nobility and the general people. And their custom was that if someone had a high position, they would gift whatever of their possessions that they loved most. If they loved (deer’s) musk, they would gift musk and not anything else; if they loved amber, they would gift amber. If they were a possessor of dresses and garbs, they would gift dress and clothing. If they were one of the brave and cavalrymen, according to custom, they’d gift a horse, or a lance, or a sword. If they were a bowman, according to custom, they’d gift an arrow (and quiver). If they were rich, according to custom, they’d gift gold or silver. If they were an employee of the king, and they had remaining tax from last year, they’d gather that tax, put it in a bag of Chinese royal silk, with silver string and silk bind and amber sealing, and would send it to him. And between the employees (of the court) they’d do so if they wished to decorate their expenses with virtue, or their good actions with virtue, or repay a debt.
The poet gifts poems, the orator the sermon, the confidant an expensive and rare gifts and first-fruit.
The queens of the king and their servants proffer what they love and esteem the most – as was told of men above.
Between the queens of the king, if there is one who had a servant and knew that the king desires her and would be soothed with her, then she’d be gifted to him in the perfect manner, best regalia and finest garment. If she’d do so, it is fitting that the king esteems her between the queens, gives her a high rank and increases her respect, for the king must know that (the queen) placed the king before herself, and gave to him something that would not have been generosity if she kept for herself, and generously gave him what not many women, but few amongst them, would give willingly.
The worth of the gifts given to the king by courtiers and nobles were justly measured. If their gift was worth more than a thousand (drachma) it would be recorded in the Special Archive. If the owner (/giver) of that gift would desire a favor, or goes toward profit, and needed wealth in case of an incident, or began building a house, or wished to throw a party, or host the matrimony of their son, or send their daughter to her husband’s house, their gift would be observed as was recorded in the Archive -There was a man employed who authenticated and kept such and alike cases; so if the gift was worth a thousand (drachmas), then two thousand (drachma) was given to them so they’d use it for the needs.
If a man had gifted an arrow, or one drachma, or an apple, or a citron, that gift would also be recorded in the archive, and the king would be alerted if one day an accident befalls that man, thus the king must help him. Whether he was a cavalryman, a courtier or a preacher, then the king would be sent a message that the man had an arrow, a drachma, a citron or an apple recorded in the archive. The king would order the citron to be carefully taken and filled with denarius coins and be sent to him, and the same (he would say) be given to an apple-giver as a citron-giver. But for the arrow-giver, the arrow –with his name on it- would be taken out of the treasury, put in the ground, and around it be put garments of the king and other dresses until it reached exactly the arrow’s tip, then the owner would be summoned and all those garments were given to him.
Whoever gifts something to the king on Nōgrōz and Mihragān, small or big, little or much, and does not find rewards from the king, either for remedying misfortune, or exercising obligations, must go to the king’s archive and note himself for negligence of keeping alive custom and preserving the connection of law (and religion), and if he had been negligent incidentally, or abandoned it deliberately, then according to the king’s custom he’d be deprived of his income for six months, and if he had an enemy, it would be given to him. So that no harm is done to the king, nor any ruin to kingship.
Ardašēr son of Pābag and Vahrām Gōr and Husrō Anōšagruvān ordered that on Mihragān and Nōgrōz every garment in the treasury be brought out and distributed between the king’s relatives and nobles, also between the other people, according to their rank.
And they said thus: In winter the king is needless of summer garment, and in summer of winter garment. And hiding clothes in the cabinet is not the character of rulers, if no they would be equal to the masses in behavior.
On the day of Mihragān, the king wears a new dress made of marten fur and silk of Vaš, and woven with two woofs (with silk warp and cotton woof). And then he distributes the summer garments as said above.
When it’s Nōgrōz, he wears a light and soft dress, and orders to distribute the winter garments.
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