Festival of Ridván Begins (Bahá'í Festival)
The Festival of Ridván is a significant Bahá'í observance that begins on April 21 and continues for 12 days until May 2. The term "Ridván" translates to "paradise" in Arabic and commemorates the anniversary of Bahá'u'lláh's Declaration in 1863, when he proclaimed himself as God's messenger for this age while in a garden in Baghdad, which he referred to as the Garden of Paradise. This festival is one of the nine holy days in the Bahá'í calendar, during which adherents are expected to refrain from work, highlighting its importance in the faith.
Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í faith, emphasized the unity of all world religions and the essential equality of all people, advocating for social principles that include racial, ethnic, religious, and gender equality. The Bahá'í community consists of approximately 6 to 7 million members globally, with the largest concentration in India. In the United States, there is a notable Bahá'í presence, with around 142,000 followers and a well-organized administrative structure. The festival serves as a time for reflection, community gathering, and spiritual renewal within the Bahá'í community.
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Festival of Ridván Begins (Bahá'í Festival)
Festival of Ridván Begins (Bahá'í Festival)
Ridván means “paradise” in Arabic, and beginning on April 21 of every year members of the Bahá'í faith the world over honor the anniversary of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh on April 21, 1863. It was on that date that Bahá'u'lláh, the prophet and founder of the Bahá'í faith, declared that he was God's messenger to humanity for this age. He made this proclamation from a garden in Baghdad, Iraq, which he called the Garden of Paradise. Ridván is observed for 12 days and ends on May 2. April 21, the First Day of Ridván, is one of the nine holy days during the year when Bahá'ís are expected to abstain from work.
Bahá'í is the Persian word for “glory”; the Bahá'í faith's founder, Mirza Husayn Ali of Nur, was later called Bahá'u'lláh, Arabic for “the Glory of God.” He was a follower of a prophet known as the Báb, whose full name was Mirza Ali Muhammad of Shiraz and who was martyred in 1850. Afterwards Bahá'u'lláh and other followers of the Báb were persecuted by the Persian government and he was forced to flee to Baghdad. Baghdad was still part of the Ottoman Empire, however, and Bahá'u'lláh was held as a political prisoner for the rest of his life, although he was frequently permitted considerable freedoms. In 1844 the Báb had proclaimed that in 19 years God would manifest himself in a divine figure, which is what Bahá'u'lláh declared himself to be in 1863. According to the Bahá'í faith, he was the latest in a series of historical divine manifestations that included Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, and Muhammad. Bahá'u'lláh preached a universal religion based on the fundamental identity of all the world's major faiths, and general social principles such as complete racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual equality. There are 6 to 7 million members of the Bahá'í faith around the world, with India having the largest number, approximately 2 million. Roughly 142,000 live in the United States, where they have a well-organized administrative system with its national headquarters at Wilmette, Illinois.