Guest Author - Sandy Mullins

Naw Ruz, is the beginning of the Baha’i (Badi) calendar year 162 starts March 21, at sundown and the first month of Baha (Splendor). Naw Ruz (new day) is not only the beginning of the new year but an end to the fast for Baha’is all over the world. It starts at sundown like all Baha’i months and religions such as Islam and Judaism. These religions have for thousands of years celebrated the start of a new day at sunset, and only with Christianity and Roman (yes roman influence) did the calendar change to the Gregorian Calendar. Most people are aware that the Gregorian calendar has a lot of issues. Baha’is believe that the Baha’i Calendar makes up where the Gregorian calendar leaves off. It removes the names of the months that were attributed to gods and other people and things and changes them to attributes of God. It shorted the month to 19 days of 19 months with four or five intercalary days (Ayyam-i-Ha), The last month of the calendar used for fasting and spiritual preparation of the new year (Naw Ruz).

Since, Baha’u’llah and the Bab were from Iran they used Naw Ruz (a pre-Islamic Spring Festival and the Spring Equinox) as the start of the new calendar. The other festivals celebrated before the Baha’i (Badi) calendar were Tir (Summer), Mihragan (Autumn), Sadih (Winter).

Baha’is use the Naw Ruz festival to end the fast and celebrate the beginning of the new year as usually in a community celebration. Most communities I have belonged to, start with a round of prayers, have large pot luck dinners and some type of entertainment.

I leave you with a quote to ponder:

"Knowledge is love. Study, listen to exhortation, think, try to understand the wisdom and greatness of God. The soil must be fertilised before the seed can be sown."
(quoted as written by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West)

For more information on the Baha’i Faith:Baha'i Links