They are not forbidden to go there at the same time as the
latter; but they never do so, and, indeed, very seldom go at all. A
pious Parsee is supposed to pray daily four times, and each time for
an hour; for this purpose, however, it is not necessary that he
should go to the temple; he fixes his eyes upon fire, earth, or
water, or stares into the open air. Whoever finds four hours of
prayer daily too much, ingratiates himself with the priests, who are
humane and considerate, like the priests of other religions, and
willingly release applicants from their cares for the consideration
of a moderate gift.
The Parsees prefer offering up their prayers in the morning in the
presence of the sun, which they honour the most, as the greatest and
most sacred fire. The worship of fire is carried to such an extent
by them that they do not pursue any trades which require the use of
fire, neither will they fire a gun, or extinguish a light. They let
their kitchen-fires burn out. Many travellers even affirm that they
will not assist in extinguishing a conflagration; but this is not
the case.
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