Baháʼís of Seychelles celebrate ‘Naw-Ruz’ |21 March 2023

Baháʼís of Seychelles join with Baháʼís around the world to celebrate their New Year or Naw-Rúz today, marking the first day of the Baháʼí calendar.

Naw-Rúz, which is Persian for ‘New Day’, is a holy day for the Baháʼís.

The celebration symbolizes the renewal of time as per the writings of the founders of the religion Báb and Baháʼu’lláh, who used the spiritual metaphor of change as the common message to turn the page over the past year and welcome new blessings in life.

As per the Baháʼí faith, the Naw-Rúz commemorates the arrival of spring, which is possible only due to the manifestations of God.

There is no specific way to celebrate as per the scripture. Baháʼí communities come together to pray, reflect, share a meal, and read the scripture of the holy day.

The Baha’i calendar (also called the Badi calendar, meaning wondrous or unique) is a solar calendar composed of 19 months of 19 days each, plus an extra period of four or five intercalary days, known as Ayyam-i-Ha.

The Baha’i year begins on the day of the vernal equinox in Tehran (Iran), which usually falls around March 20 or March 21. The inception of the Baha’i calendar was on March 21, 1844 CE, the year during which the Bab declared His mission and the Baha’i Faith began. Years are counted with the date notation of BE (Baha’i Era). The year 180 BE will begin on March 21, 2023, but because the Baha’i day begins and ends at sunset, this will be celebrated from sunset on March 20.The adoption of a new calendar in each religious era is a symbol of the power of divine revelation to reshape human perception of material, social, and spiritual reality. Through it, sacred moments are distinguished, humanity’s place in time and space reimagined, and the rhythm of life recast.

Bahá’ís commemorate 11 holy days each year. These occasions are usually observed with community gatherings in large or small settings, with programmes befitting the significance of the day.