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The Bahá'í Calendar More Information

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168 B.E.

About the Bahá'í Calendar

The Bahá'í calendar, or Badí calendar, was first established by the Báb in the Kitáb-i-Asmá (The Book of Names). Bahá'u'lláh later confirmed the calendar. The calendar is made up of 19 months of 19 days each, with an intercalary day period of four days (five during leap years). The new year (Naw-Rúz) begins on the March 21st of the Gregorian calendar, but is tied to the Spring Equinox so it is possible that it could be celebrated on the 22nd of March in some years.

The Bahá'í calendar is currently tied to the Gregorian calendar, meaning that a given date on one will always coincide with a given date on the other. (For example, the 9th of Kalimát will always be equivalent to the 21st of July). This comes as a big relief to people designing hybrid calendars for the web. The Bahá'í Era, or Badí Era, began at sunset on March 20, 1844.

See the Baha'i Calendar for today's date

Months of the Year

Each of the 19 months of the Bahá'í year was given one of the names of God from the Islámic tradition. The intercalary days are, as their name would suggest, separate and are not contained within any of the months. Each day of the month has the same name as the corresponding month (e.g. the ninth day of any Bahá'í month would be named Asmá, the twelfth would be named ‘Ilm, and so forth). The last month of the Bahá'í year is designated as a month of fasting. Fasting takes place from sunrise to sunset, during which no food or drink can be consumed.

Calendar Dates	Bahá'í Month	Arabic	Translation
Mar 21 – Apr 8	Bahá	بهاء	Splendour
Apr 9 – Apr 27	Jalál	جلال	Glory
Apr 28 – May 16	Jamál	جمال	Beauty
May 17 – Jun 4	‘Aẓamat	عظمة	Grandeur
Jun 5 – Jun 23	Núr	نور	Light
Jun 24 – Jul 12	Raḥmat	رحمة	Mercy
Jul 13 – Jul 31	Kalimát	كلمات	Words
Aug 1 – Aug 19	Kamál	كمال	Perfection
Aug 20 – Sep 7	Asmá'	اسماء	Names
Sep 8 – Sep 26	‘Izzat	عزة	Might
Sep 27 – Oct 15	Mashíyyat	مشية	Will
Oct 16 - Nov 3	‘Ilm	علم	Knowledge
Nov 4 - Nov 22	Qudrat	قدرة	Power
Nov 23 - Dec 11	Qawl	قول	Speech
Dec 12 – Dec 30	Masá'il	مسائل	Questions
Dec 31 - Jan 18	Sharaf	شرف	Honour
Jan 19 - Feb 6	Sulṭán	سلطان	Sovereignty
Feb 7 - Feb 25	Mulk	ملك	Dominion
Feb 26 - Mar 1	Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days)	ايام الهاء	The Days of Há
Mar 2 - Mar 20	‘Alá' (Month of fasting)	علاء	Loftiness

Days of the Week

Each day of the week has its own name. In the Bahá'í calendar, Friday is the day of rest. Coincidentally (or not) its name is "Independence". The week, in the Bahá'í calendar, is still seven days though, technically, it begins on Saturday and ends on Friday. In order to maximize utility and avoid considerable confusion, we have omitted this structure on the visual Bahá'í calendar.

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

Bahá'í Holy Days

Holy Day	Date	Work
Naw-Rúz (Bahá'í New Year)	March 21
First day of Riḍván	April 21
Ninth day of Riḍván	April 29
Twelfth day of Riḍván	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 20
Birth of Bahá'u'lláh	November 12
Day of the Covenant	November 26	Yes
Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá	November 28	Yes

There are eleven Holy Days in the Bahá'í calendar. Of these, there are nine on which work should be suspended. The only exceptions are the Day of the Covenant and the Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

Since Abdu'l-Bahá was born on the same day as the Declaration of the Báb, Bahá'ís commemorate and celebrate Abdu'l-Bahá's life on the Day of the Covenant. This was according to Abdu'l-Bahá's wishes. The Festival of Ridván is a celebration that commemorates Bahá'u'lláh's public declaration of His station as a Manifestation of God. The first, ninth and twelfth days of Ridván coincide with particular events that took place on those days.

The Bahá'í Feast

The Bahá'í Nineteen Day Feast is an event that occurs at the beginning of every Bahá'í month. A Bahá'í Feast consists of three main components: spiritual devotion, administrative consultation, and fellowship.

Usually held at a community center or in a local Bahá'ís home, Feasts are restricted to members of the Bahá'í Faith, mainly because of the consultative aspects of the gathering.

The word "feast" suggests that a large meal will be served, but that is not necessary for a Bahá'í Feast. The use of the term "feast," in this case, means that the community should enjoy a "spiritual feast" of worship, fellowship and unity – although refreshments are usually available. Bahá'u'lláh spoke of the importance of the Nineteen Day Feast, saying that the the Bahá'í Feast is "to bind your hearts together," even if nothing more than water is served.