Bahai Faith And Easter: A Unique Perspective

The Baháʼí Faith has eleven holy days, nine of which are work-free. The holy days commemorate major events in the lives of the founders of the Baháʼí Faith, and there is no fixed format for any of them. Baháʼí communities are free to organize their own commemorative meetings.

The Baháʼí Faith is an independent religion with its own holy days, and while Baháʼís believe in the divine origin of other world religions, they do not celebrate their holidays within their communities. However, they are free to participate in celebrations observed by friends and family who follow other religions.

Bahá'ís don't celebrate Easter, but they do celebrate Christmas

The Bahá'í Faith has its own holy days, which are important anniversaries in the history of the religion. There are eleven Bahá'í holy days, nine of which involve the suspension of work. Bahá'í communities organise their own commemorative meetings for these holy days, which include Naw-Rúz (New Year), the Festival of Ridván, and the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh.

While Bahá'ís don't celebrate Easter, they do have their own distinct holy days and celebrations, such as Ayyám-i-Há, a period of several extra days in the calendar.

Bahá'ís believe in the divine origin of Easter

Bahá'ís believe in the divine origin of all world religions and their holy days, including Easter. This is based on the principle of progressive revelation, which holds that Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent in a line of Messengers sent by God, which includes Jesus Christ.

Bahá'ís do not celebrate Easter within their communities as one of their official holy days, as they follow the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and consider the Bahá'í Faith an independent religion with its own holy days. However, Bahá'ís are free to participate in Easter celebrations with friends and family who follow other religions.

While Easter is not a Bahá'í holy day, there are several holy days in the Bahá'í calendar during which work and school are suspended. These include the Birth of the Báb, the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, the Day of the Covenant, the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh, the Martyrdom of the Báb, the Declaration of the Báb, Naw-Rúz (Bahá'í New Year), and the First, Ninth, and Twelfth Days of Ridván.

The Bahá'í calendar, or Badi calendar, has 19 months of 19 days each, with four or five intercalary days called Ayyam-i-Ha added at the end of the year. The Badi calendar began on March 21, 1844 CE, the year the Bahá'í Faith started. Naw-Rúz, the Bahá'í New Year, falls on the spring equinox and marks the end of the annual 19-day fast. It is celebrated with feasting, music, and dancing and is a time of spiritual renewal.

The Festival of Ridván, a 12-day festival commemorating Bahá'u'lláh's declaration of his mission as God's messenger, is the most sacred Bahá'í festival. During this time, Bahá'u'lláh stayed in a garden in Baghdad that he called "the Garden of Ridván" ("Ridván" means "paradise" in Arabic). The first, ninth, and twelfth days of Ridván are celebrated as holy days. The first day is also when local, national, and international Bahá'í assemblies are elected.

Bahá'ís can participate in Easter celebrations with friends and family

Bahá'ís believe in the divine origin of other world religions and the significance of their holy days. They believe that all religions come from the same God, and that Bahá'u'lláh, the latest in the line of Messengers sent from God, is the fulfilment of Jewish prophecies about a new Manifestation of God.

Bahá'ís can use Easter as an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the day. They believe that Jesus was a Manifestation of God, and the Writings speak beautifully about his life and station. Bahá'u'lláh says:

> Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit.

The Bahá'í calendar includes nine holy days, during which work is suspended, plus 19 days of fasting. With the exception of New Year, Bahá'í holidays commemorate major events in the lives of the founders of the Bahá'í Faith.

Bahá'u'lláh is the founder of the Bahá'í faith

Bahá'u'lláh, born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí, was an Iranian religious leader and the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He was born in Tehran, Iran, on 12 November 1817 to an aristocratic family. Bahá'u'lláh was raised with no formal education but was well-read and devoutly religious. At the age of 22, he turned down a position in the government, instead choosing to manage family properties and donate his time and money to charities.

At the age of 27, Bahá'u'lláh accepted the claim of the Báb, a 24-year-old merchant from Shiraz, who proclaimed himself to be a new prophet of God, similar to Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Bahá'u'lláh became one of the most outspoken supporters of the new religious movement, which advocated, among other things, the abrogation of Islamic law, attracting heavy opposition. During a governmental attempt to exterminate the movement, Bahá'u'lláh narrowly escaped death and was banished from Iran.

While imprisoned in the Síyáh-Chál dungeon, Bahá'u'lláh claimed to receive revelations from God, marking the beginning of his divine mission. After settling in Iraq, Bahá'u'lláh again attracted the ire of the Iranian authorities, who requested that the Ottoman government move him further away. He spent months in Constantinople, where the authorities became hostile and put him under house arrest in Edirne for four years, followed by two years of harsh confinement in the prison-city of Acre. Bahá'u'lláh's restrictions were gradually eased, and his final years were spent in relative freedom near Acre, where he died in 1892.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote at least 1,500 letters, some book-length, that have been translated into at least 802 languages. His teachings revolved around the principles of unity and religious renewal, ranging from moral and spiritual progress to world governance. Bahá'u'lláh's followers, known as Bahá'ís, regard him as a Manifestation of God in succession to Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammad. They are estimated to number between 5 and 8 million, spread throughout most of the world's countries and territories.

Bahá'ís have their own holy days

Baháʼís have their own holy days, which are important anniversaries in the history of the religion. There are 11 Baháʼí holy days, nine of which are days when work and school are suspended. Baháʼí communities organise their own commemorative meetings, and there is no fixed format for any of the holy days.

The Baháʼí calendar, or Badi (“wondrous” or “unique”) calendar, began on March 21, 1844 CE, the year the faith started. This solar calendar has 19 months of 19 days, with four or five intercalary days, called Ayyam-i-Ha, added each year. The new year, or Naw-Rúz, falls on the spring equinox, March 20 or 21 on the Gregorian calendar. Naw-Rúz is one of the holy days when work and school are suspended.

The Baháʼí holy days are:

• Naw-Rúz (New Year)
• First, ninth and twelfth days of Riḍván
• Declaration of the Báb
• Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh
• Martyrdom of the Báb
• Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
• Ascension of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
• Day of the Covenant
• Twin Holy Birthdays (Birth of the Báb and Birth of Bahá'u'lláh)
• Ascension of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá

The Twin Holy Birthdays are scheduled annually according to a lunar calculation, while the other holy days are on fixed dates in the Baháʼí calendar.

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