Bahai Faith Calendar of Events

Each of the 19 months is given a name which is an attribute of God; some examples include Bahá’, meaning ‘splendour, ‘Ilm, which is ‘knowledge’, and Jamál, or ‘beauty’. The Bahá’í calendar week is familiar in that it consists of seven days, with each day of the week also named after an attribute of God. Bahá’ís observe eleven Holy Days throughout the religous year, with work suspended on nine of these religious days. These ‘holidays’ (holy days) commemorate important anniversaries in the history of the Bahai religion.

History of the Bahá’í Calendar

The Bahá’í calendar, also called the Badí‘ calendar, used by the Bahá’í Faith, is a solar calendar with regular years of 365 days, and leap years of 366 days. Years are composed of 19 months of 19 days each, (361 days) plus an extra period of “Intercalary Days” (4 in regular and 5 in leap years). Years in the calendar begin at the vernal equinox, and are counted with the date notation of BE (Bahá’í Era), with March 21, 1844 CE being the first day of the first year. The period from March 21, 2009 to March 20, 2010 is the year 166 BE. At present, the Bahá’í calendar is synchronized to the Gregorian calendar, meaning that the extra day of a leap year occurs simultaneously in both calendars.

Bahá’u’lláh.

Persian inscription reads Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí’ Nuri

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The Bahá’í calendar

The Bahá’í calendar started from the original Badí‘ calendar, created by the Báb. Bahá’u’lláh confirmed and adopted this calendar and made Naw-Rúz the first day of the year, and also clarified the intercalary days.

Bahá’u’lláh set Naw-Rúz to the day on which the sun passes into the constellation Aries. Bahá’ís interpret this formula as a specification of the vernal equinox.

Although the vernal equinox can occur on March 20, 21 or 22, Shoghi Effendi declared that, for the time being, the Badí‘ calendar is ‘locked’ to the Gregorian calendar with the new year always starting at sunset on 20 March. Without this, the calendar could vary by a day or two when compared to the Gregorian calendar. The implementation of the variable calendar with respect to the beginning of Naw-Rúz will require the Universal House of Justice selecting a single location for the fixing of the date of the equinox. This ‘locked’ calendar is the one described in this article.

Years in the Bahá’í calendar are counted from Thursday, 21 March 1844, the beginning of the Bahá’í Era or Badí‘ Era (abbreviated BE or B.E.). Year 1 BE thus began at sundown 20 March 1844. Using the Bahá’í names for the weekday and month, day one of the Bahá’í Era was Istijlál (Majesty), 1 Bahá (Splendour) 1 BE. The names of the Bahá’í months and days reflect attributes of God.

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The Months of the Bahai Calendar Year

The Bahá’í calendar is composed of 19 months, each with 19 days. The Nineteen Day Fast is held during the final month of ‘Alá’ (2 March – 20 March), and is preceded by the intercalary days, known as Ayyám-i-Há. There are four intercalary days in a regular year, and five in a leap year.

The introduction of intercalation marked an important break from Islam, as under the Islamic calendar the practice of intercalation had been specifically prohibited in the Qur’an. The month of fasting is followed by Naw-Rúz, the new year. Because the calendar is currently synchronized with the Gregorian calendar, the Bahá’í leap years happen on common era leap years. In addition, the intercalary days include 28 February and 1 March, causing precise synchronization of the 19 months with the Gregorian calendar.

The names of the months were taken by the Báb from the Du’ay-i-Sahar, a Ramadan dawn prayer by Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (the fifth Imam).

Arabic Name	Arabic Script	English Translation	Gregorian Dates
Bahá	بهاء	Splendour	21 March – 8 April
Jalál	جلال	Glory	9 April – 27 April
Jamál	جمال	Beauty	28 April – 16 May
‘Aẓamat	عظمة	Grandeur	17 May – 4 June
Núr	نور	Light	5 June – 23 June
Raḥmat	رحمة	Mercy	24 June – 12 July
Kalimát	كلمات	Words	13 July – 31 July
Kamál	كمال	Perfection	1 August – 19 August
Asmá’	اسماء	Names	20 August – 7 September
‘Izzat	عزة	Might	8 September – 26 September
Mashíyyat	مشية	Will	27 September – 15 October
‘Ilm	علم	Knowledge	16 October – 3 November
Qudrat	قدرة	Power	4 November – 22 November
Qawl	قول	Speech	23 November – 11 December
Masá’il	مسائل	Questions	12 December – 30 December
Sharaf	شرف	Honour	31 December – 18 January
Sulṭán	سلطان	Sovereignty	19 January – 6 February
Mulk	ملك	Dominion	7 February – 25 February
Ayyám-i-Há	ايام الهاء	The Days of Há	26 February – 1 March
‘Alá’	علاء	Loftiness	2 March – 20 March (Month of fasting)

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Holy Days of the Bahai Faith

There are eleven holy days in the Bahá’í calendar on nine of which work is suspended. The Festival of Ridván, a twelve day festival that commemorates Bahá’u’lláh’s announcement of prophethood, is the most holy Bahá’í festival and is referred to as the Most Great Festival.”

On the Islamic lunar calendar, the births of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh fall on consecutive days; the first and second day of Muharram, respectively. The Universal House of Justice has decided to celebrate them on the solar calendar, but has the authority to change the observance to the lunar calendar days, which migrate through the solar calendar by 11 or 12 days each year.

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The Eleven Holy Days of Bahai

Name	Gregorian Dates	Work Suspended
Naw-Rúz (Bahá’í New Year)	March 21	Yes
First day of Riḍván (Arabic: رضوان)	April 21	Yes
Ninth day of Riḍván	April 29	Yes
Twelfth day of Riḍván	May 2	Yes
Declaration of the Báb	May 23	Yes
Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh	May 29	Yes
Martyrdom of the Báb	July 9	Yes
Birth of the Báb	October 20	Yes
Birth of Bahá’u’lláh	November 12	Yes
Day of the Covenant	November 26	No
Ascension of `Abdu’l-Bahá	November 28	No

Weekdays

The Bahá’í week starts on Saturday, and ends on Friday. Days begin at sunset on the previous solar day and end at sunset of the present solar day. Like Islam, Friday is also the day of rest in the Bahá’í Faith.

Arabic Name	Arabic Script	English Translation	Day of the Week
Jalál	جلال	Glory	Saturday
Jamál	جمال	Beauty	Sunday
Kamál	كمال	Perfection	Monday
Fiḍál	فضال	Grace	Tuesday
‘Idál	عدال	Justice	Wednesday
Istijlál	استجلال	Majesty	Thursday
Istiqlál	استقلال	Independence	Friday

Váḥid and Kull-i-Shay’

Also existing in the Bahá’í calendar system is a 19-year cycle called Váḥid and a 361-year (19×19) supercycle called Kull-i-Shay’ (literally, “All Things”). Each of the 19 years in a Vahid has been given a name as shown in the table below. The 9th Váḥid of the 1st Kull-i-Shay’ started on 21 March 1996, and the 10th Váḥid will begin in 2015. The current Bahá’í year, year 166 BE (21 March 2009 – 20 March 2010), is year Vahháb of the 9th Váḥid of the 1st Kull-i-Shay’. The 2nd Kull-i-Shay’ will begin in 2205.

The concept of a 19-year cycle has existed in some form since the 4th century BC. The Metonic cycle represents an invented measure that approximately correlates solar and lunar markings of time and which appears in several calendar systems.

Years in a Váḥid

No.	Persian Name	Arabic Script	English Translation
1	Alif	ألف	A
2	Bá’	باء	B
3	Ab	أب	Father
4	Dál	دﺍﻝ	D
5	Báb	باب	Gate
6	Váv	وﺍو	V
7	Abad	أبد	Eternity
8	Jád	جاد	Generosity
9	Bahá’	بهاء	Splendour
10	Ḥubb	حب	Love
11	Bahháj	بهاج	Delightful
12	Javáb	جواب	Answer
13	Aḥad	احد	Single
14	Vahháb	وﻫﺎب	Bountiful
15	Vidád	وداد	Affection
16	Badí‘	بديء	Beginning
17	Bahí	بهي	Luminous
18	Abhá	ابهى	Most Luminous
19	Váḥid	واحد	Unity

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Bahai Faith House of Worship

Only eight Houses of Worship have been built around the world (this includes one in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan that has since been destroyed), with a ninth soon to be constructed in Chile. Bahá’í communities own many properties where Houses of Worship remain to be constructed as the Bahá’í community grows and develops further. The Houses of Worship are open to the public, and are exclusively reserved for worship, where sermons are prohibited and only scriptural texts may be read. Many Bahá’í meetings occur in local Bahá’í centres, individuals’ homes, or rented facilities.

Bahai Places of Worship

A Bahá’í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Arabic: مشرق اﻻذكار‎, “Dawning-place of the remembrances of God”), is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá’í Faith. The teachings of the religion envisage Houses of Worship being surrounded by a number of dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific pursuits, although none has yet been built to such an extent.

History of the Bahá’í House of Worship

The Bahá’í House of Worship was first mentioned in Bahá’u’lláh’s book of laws, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, as the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Arabic: مشرق اﻻذكار‎ “Dawning-place of the Mention of God”), and the details of the institution were then elaborated by both Bahá’u’lláh and his successor, `Abdu’l-Bahá.

Bahá’í literature describes that a House of Worship should be built in each city and town, and emphasizes that its doors must be open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction. The Bahá’í laws emphasize that the spirit of the House of Worship must be a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions. The Bahá’í laws also stipulate that only the holy scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith and other religions can be read or chanted inside in any language; while readings and prayers may be set to music by choirs, no musical instruments may be played inside. Furthermore no sermons may be delivered, and no ritualistic ceremonies practiced.

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All Bahá’í temples share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified by Bahá’í scripture. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stipulated that an essential architectural character of a House of Worship be that it requires to have a nine-sided circular shape ( Nonagon ). While all current Bahá’í Houses of Worship have a dome, they are not regarded as an essential part of their architecture. Bahá’í scripture also states that no pictures, statues or images may be displayed within the House of Worship and no pulpits or altars incorporated as an architectural feature (readers may stand behind simple portable lecture stands). To date all the Houses of Worship built or planned have a single, undivided room under their dome. Furthermore, in all seven, the seats in the auditorium face the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká, Israel. While each of the Houses of Worship are unique, the designs, through the selection of materials, landscaping and architecture, reflect the indigenous cultural, social and environmental elements of their location, to a greater or lesser degree.

Bahá’í literature also stipulates that the Houses of Worship be surrounded by a complex of humanitarian, educational, and charitable institutions such as schools, hospitals, homes for the elderly, universities, hostels, and other social and humanitarian institutions to serve the areas in which they stand. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, stated that the functions of the House of Worship would be complementary to those of the Bahá’í centre, and that it would be desirable if both these buildings would be on the same site. He also describes the future interaction between the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (worship) and its dependencies (service) as “capable of removing the ills that have so long and so grievously afflicted humanity”.

The seven existing Houses of Worship were built as the Bahá’í community could support their construction through voluntary contributions. There are no collections during services and only Bahá’ís are permitted to contribute to the Bahá’í funds, including funds for the construction and maintenance of the House of Worship. The Houses of Worship are administered and maintained by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the country in which they are located. The Shrine of the Báb and other buildings at the Bahá’í World Centre are not Houses of Worship, although tourists sometimes mistakenly refer to the Shrine as a Bahá’í temple.

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History: Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
The first Bahá’í House of Worship was built in the city of ‘Ishqábád, then ruled by Russia and now the capital of Turkmenistan. It was started in 1902 and completed in 1908. The design was prepared by Ostad Ali-Akbar Banna, and the construction was supervised by Vakílu’d-Dawlih, later named one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh.

‘Ishqábád is located in the desert plain of western Turkmenistan near the foothills of the Alborz Mountains. Under the protection and freedom given by the Russian authorities, the number of Bahá’ís there rose to over 1,000 and for the first time anywhere in the world a true Bahá’í community was established, with its own schools, medical facilities, cemetery, etc. Eventually the Bahá’ís in ‘Ishqábád decided to build the institution of the spiritual and social heart of the Bahá’í community: the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.

The House of Worship itself was surrounded by gardens. At the four corners of the garden were four buildings: a school, a hostel where travelling Bahá’ís were entertained, a small hospital, and a building for groundskeepers. The Bahá’ís lived as much as possible in proximity to the House of Worship. It was the centre of the community materially, as well as spiritually. The House of Worship in ‘Ishqábád has been the only house of worship thus far to have the humanitarian subsidiaries associated with the institution built along side it.

After serving the community for two decades, the House of Worship was expropriated by the Soviet authorities in 1928 and leased back to the Bahá’ís. This lasted until 1938, when it was fully secularized by the communist government and turned into an art gallery. A 1948 earthquake seriously damaged the building and rendered it unsafe; the heavy rains of the following years weakened the structure, and it was demolished in 1963 and the site converted into a public park.

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Bahai Faith Structures

Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.
Bahá’í House of Worship, Wilmette, Illinois.

The cornerstone for the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois was brought to the site by Nettie Tobin and accepted in 1912 by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during his only visit to the United States and Canada. Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1953, with a delay of several years during the Great Depression and World War II. The Wilmette House of Worship is the largest and the oldest surviving Bahá’í House of Worship. Known by Baha’is as the “Mother Temple of the West” and formally as the “Bahá’í House of Worship for the North American Continent”, it stands in north suburban Cook County, on the shores of Lake Michigan. The cladding is made of white portland cement concrete with both clear and white quartz aggregate. It has received numerous design awards, and is a prominent Chicago-area landmark. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places

Symbols of many religions on a pillar of the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois USA:

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• Kampala, Uganda
  The Mother Temple of Africa is situated on Kikaya Hill on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. It was designed by Charles Mason Remey. Its foundation stone was laid in January 1958, and it was dedicated on January 13, 1961.The green dome is made of fixed mosaic tiles from Italy, and the lower roof tiles are from Belgium. The walls of the temple are of precast stone quarried in Uganda. The colored glass in the wall panels was brought from Germany. The timber used for making the doors and benches was from Uganda. The 50-acre (200,000 m2) property includes the House of Worship, extensive gardens, a guest house, and an administrative center.
  
  

• Sydney (Ingleside), Australia
  The Temple in Sydney, Australia was dedicated on September 17, 1961 and opened to the public after four years of construction. The initial design by Charles Mason Remey was approved in 1957, and given to Sydney architect John Brogan to develop and complete. Construction materials include local hardwoods and concrete surmounted by a dome, with seating for six hundred people. The building stands 38 metres in height, has a diameter at its widest point of 20 metres, and is a highly visible landmark from Sydney’s northern beaches.The surrounding gardens contain native plants including waratahs, several grevillea including the unique caleyi, the native pea, wattle and woody pear, plus three species of eucalypts. Other buildings located on the site include a visitor’s centre, bookshop, picnic area, hostel, caretaker’s cottage, and the administrative offices of the Australian Baha’i community.The property is set high in a natural bushland setting of 380,000 square metres (38 hectares) in Ingleside, a northern suburb overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This Temple serves as the Mother Temple of Australia.
  

• Frankfurt (Langenhain-Hofheim), Germany
  The Mother Temple of Europe is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountains of Germany, in the village of Langenhain, in the Frankfurt suburb of Hofheim, Hesse. The design was made by Teuto Rocholl. It was completed in 1964 and is made of steel, aluminum, and glass. 540 diamond-shaped windows give the dome an optical lightness and permit the sunlight to play in it. The outstanding characteristic acoustics of this setting are created by the reverberation within the dome and the resonance of its myriad window ledges. Choirs here sometimes sing while standing around the circumference of the temple floor, with the audience in the center.
  

• Panama City, Panama
  The Bahá’í temple in Panama City, Panama, completed 1972, designed by Peter Tillotson. It serves as the mother temple of Latin America. It is perched on a high cliff, “Cerro Sonsonate” (“Singing Hill”), overlooking the city, and is constructed of local stone laid in a pattern reminiscent of Native American fabric designs.The dome is covered with thousands of small oval tiles, and the entrance gates of the temple are constructed in a unique three-dimensional design each consisting of an equilateral triangle of three vertical posts with multiple rows of bars stretching between them at various angles, each row of which gradually changes from vertical to horizontal.
  
• Tiapapata, Samoa
  The Bahá’í House of Worship in Tiapapata, 8 km from Apia, Samoa, was completed in 1984 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands. The design was by Hossein Amanat, and was dedicated by Malietoa Tanumafili II, King of Samoa (1913-2007), who was the first reigning Bahá’í monarch. Its 30-meter domed structure is open to the public for individual prayer, commemoration of Baha’i holy days, and weekly devotional meetings. The structure is completely open to the island breezes.

• Lotus Temple, Delhi, India
  The Bahá’í temple in Delhi, India was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba. Inspired by the lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad “petals” arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.Nine doors open on to a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. Slightly more than 40 meters tall, its surface shining white marble, the temple at times seems to float above its 26-acre (105,000 m²; 10.5 ha) nine surrounding ponds. The site is in the village of Bahapur, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The major part of the funds needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr from Hyderabad, who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in 1953.Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi had by late 2002 attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it one of the most visited buildings in the world. Its numbers of visitors during those years surpassed those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. On Hindu holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people; it welcomes four million visitors each year (about 13,000 every day or 9 every minute).This House of Worship is generally referred to as the “Lotus Temple” by Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike. In India, during the Hindu festival Durga Puja, several times a replica of the Lotus Temple has been made as a pandal, a temporary structure set up to venerate the goddess Durga.