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Bahá’is celebrate their ‘most great festival’ |04 May 2017

 

The Festival of Ridvan begins on the thirty-second day of the Bahá’i year, which falls on April 20 or 21. The festival properly starts at two hours before sunset on that day, which symbolises the time that Bahá'u'lláh entered the garden of Ridvan, and lasts for 12 days.

 

Significance

The time that Bahá'u'lláh spent at the Garden of Ridvan, which means Paradise, in April 1863,  has a very large significance for Bahá’is. Bahá'u'lláh calls it one of two “Most Great Festivals” and describes the first day as “the Day of supreme felicity” and he then describes the Garden of Ridvan as “the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of his Name, the All-Merciful”.

The festival is highly significant because Bahá'u'lláh for the first time reveals to a few close disciples that he was “Him Whom God shall make manifest”, the supreme Manifestation of God, the return of all the Messengers that preceded Him. Thus it forms the beginning point of the Bahá'í Faith, as an independent world religion, destined to usher in the Kingdom of God on earth. It was 10 years after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon him in the form of an angel in the filthy underground prison cell in Tehran, where he was bound in heavy chains.  

 “Arise, and proclaim unto the entire creation the tidings that He Who is the All-Merciful hath directed His steps towards the Ridvan and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalise the resurrection of all mankind…. Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first day of Ridvan, We shed upon the whole of creation the splendors of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes. This, verily, is a token of My loving providence, which hath encompassed all the worlds.”

 

Administration

As priesthood has been abolished, Ridvan is also the start of the Baha’i administrative year when annual elections are held worldwide for local and national administrative institutions and every 5 years for the Universal House of Justice, all currently consisting of 9 members. Elections are conducted by secret ballot in a spiritual atmosphere of prayer and reflection and without party politics, nomination and campaigning, in order to choose, without passion or prejudice those, “of unquestioned loyalty, of selfless devotion, of a well-trained mind, of recognised ability and mature experience”.  From among the pool of those whom the elector believes to be qualified to serve, selection should be made with due consideration given to such other factors as age distribution, diversity, and gender. The elector should make his choice after careful thought over an extended period before the actual election. Individual members elected have no superior status or rank but have the station of servitude, sacrifice, love and guidance. Their authority is derived from the consultative nature of these spiritual Assemblies and the guiding laws and principles of the Baha’i Faith on all subjects. They are not responsible to their voters but to God. However these spiritual Assemblies consult at least once a month with their local communities (19 day feast) and once a year through elected delegates at a National Convention. It is a two-way process whereby any individual can make recommendations or air their grievances or criticism, while the Assemblies submit their plans, activity reports and financial reports. A spirit of frank and loving consultation is the keynote of all Baha’i interaction. Decisions are by majority vote where  differences arise.

These Institutions appoint committees or agencies with specific objectives such as spiritual and moral education, external affairs, logistics, statistics, social projects, etc.

Baha’u’llah describes this unique administrative system as the pattern for the future, new World Administrative Order.

Baha’is celebrated the 12 days of Ridvan from April 20 to May 1, 2017  with a national spiritual commemoration at 3pm on April 20 preceded mainly by local celebrations on the 19th night and elections of their Local Spiritual Assembly Members. On the 28th a Unity feast is followed by the 46th National Convention over the week-end where 19 delegates from local units consult over the reports, make recommendations and elect their National Spiritual  Assembly.

 

 

 

 

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