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BAHÁ’Í CALENDAR AND FESTIVALS
FOREWORD
BY DR. J. E. ESSLEMONT
From Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era
AMONG different peoples and at different times many different methods have been adopted for the measurement of time and fixing of dates, and several different calendars are still in daily use, e.g., the Gregorian in Western Europe, the Julian in many countries of Eastern Europe, the Hebrew among the Jews, and the Muḥammadan in Muslim countries.
The Báb signalized the importance of the dispensation which He came to herald, by inaugurating a new calendar. In this, as in the Gregorian Calendar, the lunar month is abandoned and the solar year is adopted.
The Bahá’í year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (i.e., 361 days), with the addition of certain "intercalary days” (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between the eighteenth and nineteenth months in order
to adjust the calendar to the solar year. The Bab named the months after the attributes of God. The Bahá’í New Year, like the ancient franian New Year, is astronomically fixed, commencing at the March equinox (March 21), and the Bahá’í era commences with the year of the Báb’s declaration (i.e., 1844 A.D., 1260 A.H.).
In the not far distant future it will be necessary that all peoples in the world agree on a common calendar.
It seems, therefore, fitting that the new age of unity should have a new calendar free from the objections and associations which make each of the older calendars unacceptable to large sections of the world’s population, and it is difficult to see how any other arrangement could exceed in simplicity and convenience that proposed by the Báb.
BAHÁ’Í FEASTS, ANNIVERSARIES, AND DAYS OF FASTING
Feast of Riḍván (Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh), April 21-May 2, 1863.
Feast of Naw-Rúz (New Year), March 21.
Declaration of the Báb, May 23, 1844.
The Day of the Covenant, November 26.
Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, November 12, 1817.
Birth of the Báb, October 20, 1819.
Birth of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, May 23, 1844.
Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, May 29, 1892.
Martyrdom of the Báb, July 9, 1850.
Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, November 28, 1921.
Fasting season lasts 19 days beginning with the first day of the month of ‘Alá’, March 2—the feast of Naw-Rúz follows immediately after.
BAHÁ’Í HOLY DAYS ON WHICH WORK SHOULD BE SUSPENDED
The first day of Riḍván,
The ninth day of Riḍván,
The twelfth day of Riḍván, .
The anniversary of the declaration of the Báb,
The anniversary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh,
The anniversary of the birth of the Báb,
The anniversary of the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh,
The anniversary of the martyrdom of the Báb,
The Feast of Naw-Rúz.
NOTE: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in one of His Tablets addressed to a believer of Nayriz, Írán, has written the following: "Nine days in the year have been appointed on which work is forbidden. Some of these days have been specifically mentioned in the Book. The rest follows as corollaries to the Text. . . . Work on the Day of the Covenant (Fete Day of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá), however, is not prohibited. Celebration of that day is left to the discretion of the friends. Its observation is not “obligatory. The days pertaining to the Abhá Beauty (Bahá’u’lláh) and the Primal Point (the Báb), that is to say these nine days, are the only ones on which work connected with trade, commerce, industry and agriculture is not allowed. In like manner, work connected with any form of employment, whether governmental or otherwise, should be suspended.”
As a corollary of this Tablet it follows that the anniversaries of the birth and ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are not to be regarded as days on which work is prohibited. The celebration of these two days, however, is obligatory.
Bahá’ís in East and West, holding administrative positions, whether public or private, should exert the utmost effort to obtain special leave from their superiors to enable them to observe these nine holy days.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL GLEANED FROM NABIL’S NARRATIVE (VOL. II), REGARDING THE BAHA’I CALENDAR
THE Badi‘ Calendar (Bahá’í Calendar) has been taken by me from the "Kita'b-iAsma",” one of the works written by the Bab. As I have observed in these days that certain believers are inclined to regard the year in which Bahá’u’lláh departed from Baghdad to Constantinople as marking the beginning of the Badi‘ Calendar, I have requested Mirzá Aqa Jan, the amanuensis of Bahá’u’lláh, to ascertain His will and desire concerning this matter. Bahá’u’lláh answered and said: ‘The year sixty A.H. (1844 A.D.), the year of the Declaration of the Bab, must be regarded as the beginning of the Badi‘ Calendar.’ The Declaration of the Bab took place on the evening preceding the
fifth day of Jamédiyu’l—Avval, of the year 1260 A.H. It has been ordained that the solar calendar be followed, and that the vernal Equinox, the day of Naw-Rúz, be regarded as the New Year's Day of the Badi‘ Calendar. The year sixty, in which the fifth day of _Iamédiyu’l-Avval coincided with the sixty-fifth day after Naw-Rúz, has accordingly been regarded as the first year of the Badi‘ Calendar. As in that year, the day of Naw-Rúz, the vernal Equinox, preceded by sixty-six days the date of the Declaration of the Báb, I have therefore, throughout my history, regarded the Naw-Rúz of the year sixty-one A.H. (the Naw-Rúz immediately following the Declaration of the Báb) as the
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BA}-IA’I‘ CALENDAR AND FESTIVALS
first Naw-R132 of the Badi‘ Calendar. I have accordingly considered the Naw-Rúz of this present year, the year 1306 A.H., which is the 47th solar year after the Declaration of the Bab, as the 46th Naw-Rúz of the Badi‘ Calendar.
Soon after Bahá’u’lláh had left the fortress of ‘Akká and was dwelling in the house of Malik, in that city, He commanded me
449
togtranscribe the text of the Badi‘ Calendar and to instruct the believers in its details. On the very day in which I received His command, I composed, in verse and prose, an exposition of the main features of iilYat Calendar and presented it to Him. The versified copy, being now unavailable, I am herein transcribing the version in prose. The days of the week are named as follows:
Englis/J Name Translation Saturday Glory Sunday Beauty Monday Perfection Tuesday Grace Wednesday Justice Thursday Majesty Friday Independence
The names of the months, which are the same as the days of each month, are as
Days Arabic Name
lst Jalál
2nd Jamal
3rd Kamal
4th Fic_lal
5 th ‘Idal
6th Istijlal
7th Istiqlal
follows:
Mont/J Arabic N ante
1st Baha
2nd Jalál
3rd Jamal
4th ‘Azamat
Sth Nur
6th Rahmat
7th Kalimat
8th Kamal
9th Asma’ 10th ‘Izzat 1 1th Mashiyyat 12th ‘Ilm 13th Qudrat 14th Qawl 1 5 th Masa’il 16th Sharaf 17th Sultan 18th Mulk 19th ‘Ala’
Translation First Days Splendor March 21 ' Glory April 9
Beauty April 28 Grandeur May 17 Light June 5 Mercy June 24 Words July 13 Perfection August 1 Names August 20 Might September 8 Will September 27 Knowledge October 16 Power November 4 Speech November 23 Questions December 12 Honor December 31 Sovereignty January 19 Dominion February 7 Loftiness March 2
Ayyam-i-Ha (Intercalary Days) February 26 to March 1 inclusive—four in ordinary and five in leap years.
The first day of each month is thus the day of Baha, and the last day of each month the day of ‘Ala’.
The Báb has regarded the solar year, of 36 5 days, 5 hours, and fifty odd minutes, as consisting of 19 months of 19 days each, with the addition of certain intercalary days. He has named the New Year’s Day, which is the Day of Naw-Rúz, the day of Baha, of the
month of Baha. He has ordained the month of ‘Ala to be the month of fasting, and has decreed that the day of Naw-Rúz should mark the termination of that period. As the Bab did not specifically define the place for the four days and the fraction of a day in the Badi‘ Calendar, the people of the Baya'n were at a loss as to how they should regard them. The revelation of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in the
450 THE, BAHA’l WORLD
Bahá’í Youth Conference of Lima, Ohio, U. S. A., March 22, 1938.
city of ‘Akká resolved this problem and settled the issue. Bahá’u’lláh designated those days as the "Ayyam-i-Ha” and ordained that they should immediately precede the month of ‘Ala’, which is the month of fasting. He enjoined upon His followers to devote these days to feasting, rejoicing, and charity. Immediately upon the termination of these intercalary days, Bahá’u’lláh ordained the month of fasting to begin. I have heard it stated that some of the people of the Bayzin, the followers of Mirza Yaḥyá, have regarded these intercalary days as coming immediately after the month of ‘Ala’, thus terminating their fast five days before the day of Naw-Rúz. This, notwithstanding the explicit text of the Bayán which states that the day of Naw-Rúz must needs be the first day of the month of Baha, and must follow immediately after the last day of the month of ‘Ala. Others, aware of this contradiction, have started their fasting on the fifth day of the month of ‘Ala, and included the intercalary days within the period of fasting.
Every fourth year the number of the intercalary days is raised from four to five. The day of Naw-Rúz falls on the 21st of March only if the vernal Equinox precedes the set ting of the sun on that day. Should the vernal Equinox take place after sunset, Naw-Rúz will have to be celebrated on the following day.
The Báb has, moreover, in His writings, revealed in the Arabic tongue, divided the years following the date of His Revelation, into cycles of nineteen years each. The names of the years in each cycle are as follows:
1. Alif A.
2. Ba’ B.
3. Ab Father.
4. Dal D.
S. Bab Gate.
6. Vav V.
7. Abad Eternity.
8. ]ad Generosity. 9. Baha Splendor. 10. Hubb Love. 11. Bahhaj Delightful. 12. Javab Answer. 13. Ahad Single. 14. Vahhab Bountiful. 15. Vidad Affection. 16. Badi Beginning. 17. Bahi Luminous. 18. Abhá Most Luminous. 19. Vahid Unity.
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BAHA’I CALENDAR AND FESTIVALS
Each cycle of nineteen years is called Véhid. Nineteen cycles constitute a period called Kull-i-§l'_iay’. The numerical value of the word “Véhid” is nineteen, that of “Kulli-§_l_1ay’” is 361. “Vél_1id” signifies unity, and is symbolic of the unity of God.
The Báb has, moreover, stated that this system of His is dependent upon the acceptance and good-pleasure of “Him Whom God shall make manifest.” One word from Him would suffice either to establish it for all
time, or to annul it forever.
451
For instance, the date of the 21st of April, 1930, which is the first day of Riḍván, and which according to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas must coincide with the "thirteenth day of the second Bahá’í month,” and which fell this year (1930) on Monday, would, according to the system of the Badi‘ Calendar, be described as follows:
-“The day of Kamél, the day of Qudrat, of the month of Jalél, of the year Bahhaj, of the fifth Vahid, of the first Kulli-§_l_1ay’.” '
HISTORICAL DATA GLEANED FROM NABiL’S NARRATIVE (VOL. 11) REGARDING
B A H A ’ U ’ L L A H Works Revealed Houses Occupied A. BA_G_1-_1_DA1) During This During This Period Period arrival latter part Jamédiyu’t_l_1- Qullu’t-Ta‘ém House of Hájí ‘AliThéni, 1269 A.H. Madad
March 12-April 10, 1833 A.D.
departure for Sulayméniyyih on Wednesday, April 10, 1854 A.D.Rajab 12, 1270 A.H.
B. SULAYMANI'YY1H
Before reaching Sulayméniyyih, He lived for a time on the Sar-Galu mountain.
During His absence from Baghdad, His family transferred their residence from House of Hájí ‘AliMadad to that of Sulaymén-i§_3__l_1anném.
Nabil arrived at Bafidéd 6 months after Bahá’u’lláh’s departure for Sulayméniyyih.
C. BAg_r__{_DAD arrived from Sulaymaniyyih on Wednesday, March 19, 185 6 A.D.Rajab 12, 1272 A.H.
(in old Baghdad)
House of Sulaymén-i_(_3_l_1anném
Prayers Qasidiy-i-Varqé‘iyyih
Saqiyas-§_l_1ayb-i Baqé
Tafsir-i-I'_‘Iurúfét-i Muqat_:ta‘ih $ahifiy—i—§1_m.::iyyih Haft-Védi
(Seven Valleys) Tafsir-i-Ht’: Lawh-i-Hfiriyyih Kitáb-i-fqzin Kalimét-i-Makminih
(Hidden Words)
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THE BAHA'I WORLD
5
V-Saléhiyyih (stayed two nights), Dust-Khurmatu,
Téwuq,
Karkfik (stayed two days), Irbil,
River,
Works Revealed Houses Occupied C. BA_G_§_1_DAI)——-continued During This During This Period Period departure from Mazra‘iy-i-Vafl_1- Subl_1éna-Rabbiya’ls_l_1a'1s_l_1: Thursday, March 26, 1863 A‘la A.D.-Shavvél S, 1279 A.H. §l_1ikkar-§_l_1ikanTablet of the Holy Mariner revealed §_havand While in the Mazra‘iy-i-.Vashs_l_1as_l_1. Hut-i—‘Ujéb Halih-Halih-Ya Bis_l_1érat (_}_l_1ulému’l-I__{lluld Az-Bégh-i-Ilahi departure from Baghdad for Con- Bézévu-Bidih—Jémi stantinople, Wednesday afternoon (first day of Riḍván), April 22, 1863 A.D.——I_Q_l_1i’l-Qa‘dih 3, 1279 A.H. Sfiriy-i-Sabr revealed on first day of Mallél.1u’l-Quds Riḍván. (Holy Mariner) arrival at Garden of Najibiyyih (Garden of Riḍván), April 22, 1353 A.D.-—I_)_l_ni’l—Qa‘dih 3, 1279 A.H. arrival of Bahá’u’lláh’s Family at SL'1riy-i-$abr ‘ Garden of Riḍván on eighth day after first of Riḍván. departure from Garden of Riḍván for Constantinople last day of Riḍván, at noon on Sunday, May 3, 1353 A.D.-I_)_l_1i’l-Qa‘dih 14, 1279 A.H. length of overland journey from Garden of Riḍván to Samsfin on Black Sea: 110 days. Firayjat (arrival early afternoon—— Bartallih, stayed seven days), arrived on Sun- Mosul (stayed 3 days), day, May 3, 1863 A.D.—I_)_l'_1i’l- Zélghu, Qa‘dih 14, 1279 A.H. (Firayjét Jazirih, is about 3 miles distant from Nisibin, Baghdad) Hasan-Aqé, Judaydih, Mérdin, Dili-‘Abbas, Diyér-Bakr, Qarih-Tapih, Ma‘dan-Mis,
I_(_hérpL’1t (stayed 2 or 3 days) , Ma‘dan-Nuqrih,
Dilik-Tés_l_1,
Sivés,
Tfiqét,
Amasia, (stayed 2 days) (cont’d)
[Page 453]
HISTORICAL
Ilahiyyih (while approaching Sam DATA
1}
453
steamer about sunset for Constan sun, “Lawh-i-Hawdaj” was re- tinople vealed), (last day of {overland Sinope (arrived next day about journey), noon), Black Sea port; stayed few Sémsun (stayed 7 days) , Black hours, Sea port. Sailed in a Turkish Anyabuli (arrived next day).
D. CONSTANTINOPLE
arrival at noon on Sunday, August 16, 1863 A.D. Rabi‘u’l-Avval 1, 1280 A.H.
Length of sea voyage from Sémsun to Constantinople 3 days.
Length of journey from Constantinople to Adrianople 12 days.
Works Revealed Dur Houses Occupied Dur ing This Period ing This Period Duration Subhanika-Ya-H11 House of Shamzi Big 1 month Lawh-i-‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz (2-story, near KhirVa-Vukala gih Sharaf Mosque) House of Visi Pas_l_1a 3 months
( 3—story, near Sultan M u a m m a d Mosque)
1. Kughik-C_l_1akmachih (3 hours from Constantinople—spent one night)
2. Buyiik-C_l_1akma<_:l_1ih (arrived about noon)
3. Salvari
4. Birkas
S. Bába-iski
E. ADRIANOPLF.
arrival on Saturday, December 12, 1863 A.D.—Rajab 1, 1230
A.H.
Length of stay: 4 years, 8 months, 22 days.
Length of overland
journey from Constantinople to Adrianople: 12 days. Departure from Adrianople on Wednes day, August 12, 1868 A.D.-Rabi‘u’t_l_1-T_h_a ni 22, 1285 A.H.
Works Revealed Dur Houses Occupied Dur ing This Period ing This Period Duration Suriy-i-Ashéb 1. I_(_han-i-‘Arab 3 nights (caravanserai, twostory, near house Lawh-i-Hajj I of ‘Izzat-Aqé) " “ “ II Kitáb-i-Badi‘ 2. House in Muradiyyih 1 week Suriy-i-Mulfik quarter, near Tak(Tablet of the yiy-i-Mawlavi Kings) 3. House in Murédiyyih 6 months Suriy-i-Amr quarter, near house Suriy-i-Damm 2 Alvél_1-i-I.aylatu’l- 4. Khániy-i-Amru’Iléh Quds (several stories, Munéjathay-i-Siyam near Sultan-Salim (Prayers for Fast- Mosque) ing) Lawlgi-i-Sayyéh 5. House of Ridé Big lyear
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THE BAHA’I WORLD
E. ADIUANOPLI-:--continued
Works Revealed Dur Houses Occupied Dur ing This Period ing This Period Lawh-i—Napulyún I 6. House of Amru’lláh
(First Tablet to (3 - story. North
Napoleon III) of Sultan - Salim
Mosque)
Lawh-i-Sultan 7. House of ‘Izzat (Tablet to the shah Aqzi
of Persia) Lawh-i-Nuqtih
Duration
3 months?
1 1 months
1. Uzun-Kupri
2. Kashénih (arrived about noon. Lawh-i—Ra’is (Tablet of Ra’is) was revealed
in this place) 3. Gallipoli
(length of journey from Adrianople to Gallipoli about 4 days)
(after a few days’ stay sailed before noon in Austrian steamer for Alexandria, Egypt)
_\D0O\lO\v-Ix
vessel for ‘Akl-ta)
. Madelli (arrived about sunset——left at night) . Smyrna (stayed 2 days, left at night) . Alexandria (arrived in the morning, transshipped and left at night for Haifa) . Port Said (arrived morning, left the same day at night) . Jaffa (left at midnight) Haifa (arrived in the morning, landed and after a few hours left on a sailing
\
F. ‘AKKA
arrival on Monday,
August 31, A.D. 18 6 8-Jamédiyu’lAvval 12, 1285 A.H.
Purest Branch died on Thursday, June 23, 1870 A.D.-Rabi‘u’l-Avval 23, 1287 A.H.
Passed away May 29, 1892 A.D.
Works Revealed Dur Houses Occupied Dur ing This Period ing This Period Duration
Kitáb-i-Aqdas 1. Barracks 2 years, 2
Lawh-i-Napulyun II months, (Second Tablet to 5 days Napoleon III)
Lawh-i-Malikih 2. House of Malik 3 months (Tablet to Queen 3. House of Rébi‘ih . Victoria)
Lawh-i-Malik-i-Rnis 4. House of Mansur 2 or 3 (Tablet to the months
Czar) Suriy-i-Haykal Lawh-i-Burhan Lawh-i-Ru’yé Lawlgi-i-Ibn-i-1_.'_)_l_ii’b
(Epistle to Son of
the Wolf) Lawh-i-Pap
(Tablet to the
Pope)
5. House of ‘Abbfid
(where Kitáb-i-Aqdas was revealed)
6. Mazra‘ih
7. Qasr
(Mansion, where He passed away)
