Birthday of the Bab
I had the extraordinary privilege yesterday of attending the celebration of the Birthday of the Báb in the Seat of the Universal House of Justice at the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
There’s so much I want to write about this event, the feelings it engendered, the tears I shed, but I am on an expensive hotel broadband link and about to leave for the airport. So I will content myself with saying that the prayers, the Baha’i World Centre choir, the circumambulation of the Shrine of the Báb all contributed to a penetratingly spiritual experience.
I hope to write more once I return home, but I make no promises.
Technorati Tags: Bahai, Baha’i, Bab, Haifa, shrine, prayers, spirituality
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9 comments
Can’t wait to hear about the Birth of Baha’u'llah celebrations too
Why did you all celebrate the birthday of the Bab’ on the 10th of January when his birthday is on the 20th of October?
Barmak, sadly I wasn’t able to attend the celebrations for the Birthday of Baha’u'llah as I was flying home yesterday.
Matt, the Birthdays of the Bab and Baha’u'llah are celebrated according to the lunar calendar in Iran and at the Baha’i World Centre. They are both Holy Days that preceded Baha’u'llah’s declaration of His Mission at Ridván 1863. Bahá’u'lláh decided that we would use the solar calendar, but before that the Badi calendar (inaugurated by the Báb) was observed according to the lunar calendar, as would have been normal in Iran and other Islamic countries at that time.
In the lunar calendar the anniversaries of these Birthdays occur on successive days, the 1st and 2nd of the month of Muharram. Because the lunar calendar precesses, the Twin Birthdays, as they are referred to) are celebrated 11 days earlier each year. It so happened that one of the Twin Birthdays, the Birthday of the Báb, coincided with my trip to Haifa that has just finished.
I have experienced the Twin Birthdays once before, during the International Baha’i Convention in 1998. The Convention was extended by two days so that the delegates could celebrate them in the vicinity of the Shrines of the Báb and Bahá’u'lláh respectively.
I see, Barney. That is too bad! Also, I wanted to ask, aren’t the Declaration of the Bab and His Martyrdom also commemorated by the Islamic Lunar Calendar in the Middle East too? And also, in the future, the House of Justice will determine when the whole Baha’i world will celebrate those Birthdays according to the Lunar calendar, because clearly, in the Most Holy Book, Baha’u'llah says even should these Days fall during the Fast, the Fast is not to be held on those days! Am I right?
Barmak, I think you are right both about the celebration of the Declaration of the Báb and His Martyrdom and about the future marking of all of the pre-Ridvan (in historical order, of course) Holy Days according to the lunar calendar.
It is my understanding that those Holy Days which occurred before Baha’u'llah’s Declaration in the Garden of Ridvan are observed at the World Centre according to the lunar calendar, and those after that time according to the solar calendar.
Valerie, your understanding is correct.
Barney, I sent you a comment but I misspelled your name, please excuse!
Margaret
Toronto, Canada
No problem, Margaret, but I don’t think I received the comment?
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