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"It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens." Bahá'u'lláh
The essential joyousness of the Bahá'í religion finds expression in numerous feasts and holidays during the year.
"During such days institutions should be founded that
may be of permanent benefit and value to the people.... Undoubtedly the friends of God, upon such a day, must leave tangible philanthropic or ideal traces that should reach all mankind and not pertain only to the Bahá'ís. In this wonderful dispensation, philanthropic affairs are for all humanity without exception, because it is the manifestation of the mercifulness of God. Therefore, my hope is that the friends of God, every one of them, may become as the mercy of God to all mankind." - Abdu'l-Bahá
Unity Prayer
O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household.
In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.
O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all.
Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy.
O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony.
O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.
O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.
O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.
Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind.
- Abdu'l-Bahá
Press here for Religious Services
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 Special Events
Baha'is celebrate several Holy Days during the year to which you are all warmly invited.
Email us about this or other activities: info@bahaifaithcentralsaanich.org
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Bahá'í Holy Days
Naw-Ruz (Bahá'í New Year), March 21.
Ridvan (Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh), April 21-May 2.
Declaration of the Báb, May 23.
Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, May 29.
Martyrdom of the Báb, July 9.
Birth of the Báb, October 21.
Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, October 22.
Day of the Covenant, November 26.
Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, November 28.
Period of the Fast, nineteen days beginning March 2.
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Naw-Ruz (New Year) and Ridvan, the Anniversaries of the Birth of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, and of the Bab's Declaration, are the great joy-days of the year for Bahá'ís. They are often celebrated by picnics or festal gatherings at which music, the chanting of verses and tablets, and short addresses suitable to the occasion are contributed by those present.
The anniversaries of the martyrdom of the Báb and the ascension of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá are celebrated with solemnity by appropriate meetings and discourses, the chanting of prayers and Tablets.
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The Bahá'í Calendar
The Bahá'í Calendar, also called the Badi (Wonderful) calendar was established by the Báb in the Kitáb-i-Asma and approved by Bahá'u'lláh, who stated that it should start in 1844 ACE.
The Baha'i year is based on the solar year of 365 days, five hours and some fifty minutes. Each year is divided into nineteen months of nineteen days each with four Intercalary Days (five in a leap year), called Ayyam-i-Ha which Bahá'u'lláh specified should precede the nineteenth month. New Year's Day (Naw Ruz) falls on the Spring Equinox.
A Nineteen Day Feast celebration is held at the beginning of each Baha'i month.
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The names of the months in the Bahá'í calendar are:
1. Baha - Splendour - 21 March - 8 April
2. Jalal - Glory - 9 April - 27 April
3. Jamal - Beauty - 28 April - 16 May
4. 'Azamat - Grandeur - 17 May - 4 June
5. Nur - Light - 5 June - 23 June
6. Rahmat - Mercy - 24 June - 12 July
7. Kalimat - Words - 13 July - 31 July
8. Kamal - Perfection - 1 August - 19 August
9. Asma' - Names - 20 August - 7 September
10. 'Izzat - Might - 8 September - 26 September
11. Mashiyyat - Will - 27 September - 15 October
12. 'Ilm - Knowledge - 16 October - 3 November
13. Qudrat - Power - 4 November - 22 November
14. Qawl - Speech - 23 November - 11 December
15. Masa'il - Questions - 12 December - 30 December
16. Sharaf - Honour - 31 December 18 January
17. Sultan - Sovereignty - 19 January - 6 February
18. Mulk - Dominion - 7 February - 25 February
19. 'Ala - Loftiness - 2 March - 20 March
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The days of the Bahá'í week are:
1. Jalal - Glory (Saturday)
2. Jamal - Beauty (Sunday)
3. Kamal - Perfection (Monday)
4. Fidal - Grace (Tuesday)
5. 'Idal - Justice (Wednesday)
6. Istijlal - Majesty (Thursday)
7. Istiqlal - Independence (Friday)
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The Bahá'í day of rest is Istiqlal (Friday) and the Bahá'í day begins and ends at sunset. Each of the days of the month is also given the name of one of the attributes of God. The names are the same as those of the nineteen months.
The Days of Ayyam-i-Ha or Intercalary Days are the four days (five in a leap year) before the last month of the Bahá'í year, 'Ala', which is the month of fasting. They are devoted to spiritual preparation for the fast, hospitality, feasting, charity and gift giving.
Naw Ruz means New Day. The Bahá'í New Year. Like the ancient Persian New Year, it occurs on the spring equinox, which generally falls on 21 March. For the present, the celebration of Naw Ruz is fixed on 21 March. The Festival of Naw Ruz marks the end of the month of fasting and is a joyous time of celebration. It is a Bahá'í Holy Day on which work is to be suspended.
Why a new Calendar?
Every new religion has its own calendar and the Bahá'í Faith is no different.
The Gregorian calendar currently in use in the west is quite unscientific, as the "months" are a throwback to the days when people used the phases of the moon to mark the passage of time (the moon goes through its phases in 29 days). "Month" may be considered short for "moonth". The names of our months were assigned to show respect to various Roman deities and emperors, ie., June for the goddess Juno, July for Julius Caesar, August for Augustus Ceasar. September, October, November, and December mean "7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th" as they were the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months originally. So why are we still showing our respect for Roman Emperors? Isn't it time to adopt a calendar based on the Sun, rather than the moon? And instead of honoring ancient deities, the Bahá'í months are named for attributes of God.
Similarly, our days of the week are named for attributes of the one true God, instead of honoring the sun god, moon god and mythological gods such as Woden, Thor, and Saturn. Judge objectively for yourself which calendar is more appropriate for today.
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 than that proposed by the Báb.
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Serving Brentwood Bay, Saanichton, and Tanner Ridge, British Columbia
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