Source: Mehr News Agency
http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=357618
On July 24, 2006 Mehr News Agency reported, "On Saturday, MP Kurosh Niknam, who represents the Zoroastrian community in the Majlis, presented a proposal to the Iranian parliament to officially change the name of the fifth month in the Iranian calendar year (July 23-August 22) from Mordad to Amordad. According to Article 15 of the Constitution, Persian (Farsi) has been designated as Iran’s official language and script and all documents, correspondences, and educational books must be written in Persian, he said in his proposal. Most of the current Persian words have their roots in the ancient languages of Pahlavi (a form of Middle Persian) and Avestan, he added. For example, the names of the Iranian months are very meaningful and come from ancient Iranian languages, and these names remind all Iranians of awareness, life, and striving, he noted. Over the years, many people in Iran mispronounced the word Amordad, saying Mordad, which means death and nothingness, Niknam said in explanation of how the change came about. 'Since Iranians always cared about life, striving, development, and productivity, they named the middle month of the summer Amordad, which means life and eternity in the Avestan language.'"