The Bahá'í Calendar

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The significance of today in the Bahá'í calendar
The Bahá'í Calendar, also called the Badí calendar, was established by the Báb in the Kitáb-i-Asmá and approved by Bahá'u'lláh, who stated that it should start in 1844 AD (AH1260).

Read about the Holy Days.

The Year

The Months

1. Bahá - Splendour - 21 March - 8 April
2. Jalál - Glory - 9 April - 27 April
3. Jamál - Beauty - 28 April - 16 May
4. 'Azamat - Grandeur - 17 May - 4 June
5. Núr - Light - 5 June - 23 June
6. Rahmat - Mercy - 24 June - 12 July
7. Kalimát - Words - 13 July - 31 July
8. Kamál - Perfection - 1 August - 19 August
9. Asmá' - Names - 20 August - 7 September
10. 'Izzat - Might - 8 September - 26 September
11. Mashíyyat - Will - 27 September - 15 October
12. 'Ilm - Knowledge - 16 October - 3 November
13. Qudrat - Power - 4 November - 22 November
14. Qawl - Speech - 23 November - 11 December
15. Masá'il - Questions - 12 December - 30 December
16. Sharaf - Honour - 31 December 18 January
17. Sultán - Sovereignty - 19 January - 6 February
18. Mulk - Dominion - 7 February - 25 February
19. 'Alá - Loftiness - 2 March - 20 March

The Days

Each of the days of the month is also given the name of one of the attributes of God. the names are the same as those of the nineteen months; thus Naw-Rúz, the first day of the first month, would be considered the 'day of Bahá of the month Bahá'. If it fell on a Saturday, the first day of the Bahá'í week, it would also be the 'day of jalál'.

Ayyám-i-Há

The Cycles (Váhid)

The Bahá'í calendar equates nineteen years with one cycle, or "Váhid," and these are further part of epochs, outlined here.

In His Writings, revealed in Arabic, the Báb divided the years following the date of His Revelation into cycles of nineteen years each.

Each cycle of nineteen years is called a Váhid; nineteen cycles constitute a period called Kull-i-Shay

The names of the years in each cycle are:

1. Alif - The Letter "A"
2. Bá - The letter "B"
3. Ab - Father
4. Dál - The letter "D"
5. Báb - Gate
6. Váv - The letter "V"
7. Abad - Eternity
8. Jád - Generosity
9. Bahá - Splendour
10. Hubb - Love
11. Bahháj - Delightful
12. Javáb - Answer
13. Ahad - Single
14. Vahháb - Bountiful
15. Vidád - Affection
16. Badí - Beginning
17. Bahí - Luminous
18. Abhá - Most Luminous
19. Váhid - Unity

Why a new Calendar?

The Gregorian calendar currently in use in the west is quite unscientific, as the "months" are a throwback to the days when people used the phases of the moon to mark the passage of time (the moon goes through its phases in 29 days). "Month" may be considered short for "moonth". The names of our months were assigned to show respect to various Roman deities and emperors, ie., June for the goddess Juno, July for Julius Caesar, August for Augustus Ceasar. September, October, November, and December mean "7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th" as they were the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months originally. So why are we still showing our respect for Roman Emperors? Isn't it time to adopt a calendar based on the Sun, rather than the moon? And instead of honoring ancient deities, the Bahá'í months are named for attributes of God.

Similarly, our days of the week are named for attributes of the one true God, instead of honoring the sun god, moon god and mythological gods such as Woden, Thor, and Saturn. Judge objectively for yourself which calendar is more appropriate for today.

Holy Days

There are eleven Holy Days which Bahá'ís celebrate. On all but two of these days, all work should cease. They are listed in chronological order according to the Bahá'í calendar.

Naw Rúz - March 21
Literally, New Day. The Bahá'í New Year. Like the ancient Persian New Year, it occurs on the spring equinox, which generally falls on 21 March. If the equinox falls after sunset on 21 March, Naw Rúz is celebrated on 22 March, since the Bahá'í day begins at sunset. For the present, however, the celebration of Naw Rúz is fixed on 21 March. In the Bahá'í calandar, Naw Rúz falls on the day of Bahá of the month of Bahá. The Festival of Naw Rúz marks the end of the month of fasting and is a joyous time of celebration. It is a Bahá'í Holy Day on which work is to be suspended.

Ridván

The Ridván (pronouced "riz-wan") festival commemorates the first public declaration by Bahá'u'lláh of His Station and mission (in 1863). Read about it in more detail ...

Declaration of the Báb - 23 May
Commemorates the date in 1844 when the Báb first declared His mission. Read about it in more detail ...

Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh - 29 May
Commemorates the date in 1892 when Bahá'u'lláh ascended to heaven (i.e., passed away)

Martyrdom of the Báb - 9 July
Commemorates the date in 1850 when the Báb was executed by a 750-man firing squad in Tabríz, Iran. Read about it in more detail ...

Birth of the Báb - 20 Oct.
Commemorates the date in 1819 when the Báb was born in Shíráz, Iran

Birth of Bahá'u'lláh - 12 Nov.
Commemorates the date in 1817 when Bahá'u'lláh was born in Tihran, Iran

Work does not have to cease on these Holy Days:

Day of the Covenant - 26 Nov.
This day is celebrated in lieu of the Birth of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which falls on the same day as the Declaration of the Báb.

Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá - 28 Nov.
Commemorates the day in 1921 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá ascended to heaven (i.e., passed away)

Ayyám-i-Há - the Intercalary Days - 26 February - 1 March
The Bahá'í calendar is made up of 19 months of 19 days each. The period of Ayyám-i-Há adjusts the Bahá'í year to the solar cycle. These days are set aside for hospitality, gift-giving, special acts of charity, and preparing for the Bahá'í Fast.

The Fast - 'Alá - Loftiness (month 19) / 2-20 March.
Bahá'ís fast for 19 days from sunrise to sunset, setting aside time for prayer and meditation. Children under the age of 15, individuals who are ill, travelers, the elderly, pregnant women and nursing mothers are exempt from the fast.