Baha'i Holy Days

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I decided to open another thread on the topic of Baha'i Holy Days as each of them have a special significance and are also part of our Calendar:

Naw-Rúz The Bahá’í New Year 20 March 20 March

First Day of Ridván (meaning “Paradise” in Arabic) — the most important of the Bahá’í holy days. It is the day on which Bahá’u’lláh declared His mission as a Messenger of God. 20 April 20 April

Ninth Day of Ridván, the day on which Bahá’u’lláh’s family joined Him in the Garden of Ridván. 28 April 28 April

Twelfth Day of Ridván the day on which Bahá’u’lláh and His family left the garden to travel to Constantinople. 1 May 1 May

Declaration of the Báb the anniversary of the Báb’s announcement of His mission in 1844. 23 May 23 May

Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh marking the passing of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892 28 May 28 May

Martyrdom of the Báb Who was executed in 1850 9 July 9 July

Birth of the Báb 18 October 6 November

Birth of Bahá’u’lláh 19 October 7 November

Day of the Covenant* commemorating Bahá’u’lláh’s appointment of His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the One to whom His followers should turn after His passing. 25 November 25 November

Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá* marking the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921 27 November 27 November
Note: The Bahá’í holy days are set and move according to a solar calendar commencing with the Spring Equinox. However the holy days marking the birth of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh are set and move according to a lunar calculation.

* Work not suspended; Bahá’ís are enjoined to suspend work on all but these holy days.

Source for the above:

The Bahá’í Community of Canada

 

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The Nineteen Day Feast happens at the beginning of each Baha'i month in Baha'i communities around the world. Generally there are three divisions of a Feast:

First a devotional prayer part in which prayers are recited suitable for the Feast as decided by community members. It could include devotional music.

Bahá’í Prayers

Secondly a business part that includes letters from the National Spiritual Assembly or the Universal House of Justice or consultation on issues of interest to the community;

Third a more socializing section where refreshments are shared.

The following article explains the Feast in deeper detail:

The Feast was ordained in the Kitab-i-Aqdas by Bahá’u’lláh; He counseled His followers to meet once every Bahá’í month, even if “only water be served”. “This feast”, states ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “is held to foster comradeship and love, to call God to mind and supplicate Him with contrite hearts, and to encourage benevolent pursuits.” “It rejoiceth mind and heart”, He writes in another passage. “If this feast be held in the proper fashion, the friends will, once in nineteen days, find themselves spiritually restored, and endued with a power that is not of this world.”

Feasts from around the world, clockwise from top: United Kingdom 1928; Mozambique; Western Samoa, 1996.

Although the Nineteen Day Feast may assume different outward forms in different parts of the world, reflecting the conditions and customs of the local community, its program always includes the reading of prayers, a portion devoted to sharing news and consulting on community affairs, and a portion for socializing and fellowship. The Nineteen Day Feast provides an opportunity for the community to gather and discuss its affairs, and for the Local Spiritual Assembly—the local governing council of the Bahá’í community—to keep abreast of the concerns of the community and strengthen its relationship with it. Consultation at these regular gatherings also creates a space for growing social consciousness to find constructive expression and often leads to the emergence of small groups engaged in action.

On a given day every month, then, in tens of thousands of localities in virtually every territory on the planet, groups of friends gather together in a spirit of love to pray, to think about their own spiritual growth, and to consult about their individual and collective efforts—modest though they may be—to improve the life of their communities. In each instance the consultations are guided by the same vision of a better world, and the participants—men and women, young and old alike—evince a remarkable degree of unity, not only in their shared convictions about the fundamental principles that are to characterize this better world, but also in the methods and approaches that they adopt in their daily lives to contribute to its gradual realization.

Nineteen Day Feast | What Bahá’ís Do