Ridvan celebrates Baha’u’llah’s time in 1863 in the garden of Ridvan in Baghdad when He publicly declared His station as a Manifestation of God. The Ridvan Festival is 12 days long and is also the time of year when Baha’is elect their governing bodies.
It’s been so exciting to see the thousands of celebratory initiatives and activities happening around the world in honor of the Bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of the Bab, the Prophet-herald of the Baha’i Faith!
Many of these initiatives and activities have been featured on bicentenary.baha.org/the-bab/glimpses, a page created by the Baha’i World Centre in honor of this special occasion, so we thought we’d share 19 glimpses of bicentenary celebrations and events from around the world, found on the bicentenary page. Here they are listed in alphabetical order, and if you click on the country or image, it’ll take you to more related images:
Communities in Benin, commemorate the bicentenary with processions on the streets, inviting local residents to the upcoming historic celebrations. Gatherings are infused with prayers, songs, dance, and presentations by children and youth about the life of the Bab and His teachings.
In a beautiful outdoor setting, people in the community in Sonsonate, El Salvador, gathered together to celebrate the birth of the Bab. A special bicentenary sign hung to welcome the attendees, adorned palm tree branches framed the entrance, and other decorations created an uplifting atmosphere for this gathering. They celebrated by saying prayers, sharing stories of the life of the Bab, and watching the film Dawn of the Light.
A marching band passes through Tema, Ghana, announcing the news of the bicentenary of the birth of the Bab. This is just one of the many ways communities around Ghana marked the historic occasion. In a part of Accra, youth and children prepared a song for a local celebration, while in Asesewa a joyful community enjoyed the festivities.
In Haiti, friends come together in a myriad of spaces to honor the life of the Bab. Prayers and vibrant songs fill the air as part of bicentenary celebrations.
Bicentenary celebrations in Japan, now underway, follow many months of preparations that have inspired creative endeavors around the country. A group in Utsunomiya penned wishes for their own lives and the progress of society, including the Bab’s inspiring Words, on origami paper. In Hachioji, families met for prayers and a clean-up project in the nearby forest. And at many joyful gatherings, people are telling stories of the life of the Bab and reflecting on His message of spiritual renewal.
About 100 people attended a screening of Dawn of the Light, a feature film produced for the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Bab, at a movie theatre in Seoul, Korea.
Uplifting celebrations throughout Macau mark the bicentenary of the birth of the Bab. The celebrations include prayerful family gatherings in homes and activities such as a puppet show and Chinese calligraphy art.
Visitors to a botanical garden in Malaysia celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of the Bab by painting in portions of a banner created for the occasion. Centered on the theme of unity, the two-day art project took shape after a viewing of the film about the Bab, Dawn of the Light.
A bicentenary celebration in Hurum, Norway, included music and puppetry, as well as a performance portraying Táhirih—an early believer of the Báb who was renowned for her poignant prose and poetry that advocated for the transformation of society.
The Baha’i community in Puno, Peru, comes together in various settings to celebrate the bicentenary in gatherings characterized by prayer, songs, and fellowship.
A group of young people in Bucharest, Romania, have been gathering to study The Dawn-Breakers in the year of the bicentenary. Upon learning the stories of the early heroes of the Faith the group was moved to create a play. Through their performance the group celebrates the story of the young woman Babi, Zaynab, and explores the concept of being a true seeker through the story of Mulla Ḥusayn.
In Dili, Timor-Leste, youth and children gather in a spirit of joy to celebrate the bicentenary. An art activity prepared for the children depicts a story from the Bab’s childhood.
On the Pacific island of Tongatapu, Tonga, friends and family from a few neighboring localities join together for a night of festivities. The children, who attend classes for spiritual and moral education, also give presentations to the community about what they had learned.
People of all ages and backgrounds come together in Sheffield, United Kingdom, for a lively evening of prayer, music and discussions about the developments in the world over the past 200 years in light of the teachings of the Bab and Bahá’u’lláh.
In Vanuatu, the community arranged bouquets of flowers bursting with color, they baked cookies and joined in song to bring joy to the hearts of their friends and neighbors on the bicentenary of the birth of the Bab. The children carefully colored in cards on which an opening gate was depicted, recalling the station of the Bab as the Gate and Herald of Bahá’u’lláh.
Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.
What a joy to see the how the Flowers of One Human Garden are celebrating around the world and honoring the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb, including Romania, the country where I am from originally!
Great collage of these beautiful fragrances! Thank you, Nayson!!
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What a joy to see the how the Flowers of One Human Garden are celebrating around the world and honoring the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb, including Romania, the country where I am from originally!
Great collage of these beautiful fragrances! Thank you, Nayson!!
Mioara Gram (November 11, 2019 at 12:16 AM)
Thank you for this collage from all over the world !!!!!!!!!!
Lena Johansson, Sweden (November 11, 2019 at 1:09 AM)