Find Communities in Australia

Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.

Learn about the Baha’i Faith

Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.

DISMISS MENU

Featured in: Festival of Ridvan

Explore

This post is featured in the following collections:

Festival of Ridvan

in Explore > Calendar

Ridvan, also known as the Most Great Festival, celebrates Baha’u’llah’s time in the garden of Ridvan on the outskirts of Baghdad in 1863 where He publicly declared His station as a Manifestation of God. The Ridvan Festival is 12 days long and is also the time of year where Baha’is elect their local and national governing bodies, and every five years, the international governing body for the worldwide Baha’i community.

What is Ridvan and Why Does it Have 12 Days?

April 20, 2011, in Articles > Holy Days & Baha'i Calendar, by

Ridvan is a twelve-day festival, spanning the 13th day of Jalal to the 5th of Jamal of the Baha’i calendar, signifying the 12 days Baha’u’llah spent in the Garden of Ridvan meeting with visitors before His exile to Constantinople. Ridvan (which means “paradise” in Arabic) commemorates Baha’u’llah’s declaration in 1863 as the Promised One of all religions.

To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the ‘Everlasting Father,’ the ‘Lord of Hosts’ come down ‘with ten thousands of saints’; to Christendom Christ returned ‘in the glory of the Father,’ to Shi’ih Islam the return of the Imam Husayn; to Sunni Islam the descent of the ‘Spirit of God’; to the Zoroastrians the promised Shah-Bahram; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha. 

Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By

Although Baha’u’llah’s mission as the Promised One had been revealed to Him in 1853 during His imprisonment in Tehran, it was ten years before He would declare His mission publicly in the Garden of Ridvan.

In 1844, the Bab had foretold the coming of a great Messenger from God – the One promised in all religions. The Bab’s entire ministry, which ended with His execution by the Persian authorities in 1850, had been to prepare the people for the arrival of this Messenger. Baha’ullah, one of the Bab’s followers, was imprisoned in the Siyah-Chal in 1853. It was here that He experienced a revelation from God in which His mission was made known to Him.

After Baha’u’llah was released from the Siyah-Chal, He was exiled from Persia and settled in Baghdad. Baha’ullah did not tell anyone of the revelation He had received in the Siyah-Chal. The Bab’s followers began to turn to Baha’u’llah as a leader of the Babi community, relying on His loving guidance and care following the Bab’s execution.

It was for this reason that news of Baha’u’llah’s exile greatly shook and saddened the Babi community. For twelve days, before departing for Constantinople, Baha’u’llah remained in the Garden of Ridvan, receiving a vast number of visitors – both Babis  and the people of Baghdad. What the Babis had expected to be a painful farewell instead turned out to be an occasion of joy and celebration as Baha’ullah, on His first day in the Garden, declared His mission as the Promised One.

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 splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes.

Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas

Baha’u’llah’s declaration marked the beginning of the Baha’i Faith and thus heralded a new era with the promise of the unity of all mankind. For me, Ridvan is an occasion for joyous celebration and deep gratitude.

Say: The Most Great Festival is, indeed, the King of Festivals. Call ye to mind, O people, the bounty which God hath conferred upon you. Ye were sunk in slumber, and lo! He aroused you by the reviving breezes of His Revelation, and made known unto you His manifest and undeviating Path.

Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas

As a Baha’i, I have had the immense privilege and joy of witnessing the amazing transformative power of Baha’u’llah’s teachings – in my own life and spiritual wellbeing, but also in the transformation of the world around me. As a commemoration of the day on which the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah began, Ridvan truly is – as Baha’u’llah described it – “the Day of supreme felicity”.

Happy Ridvan, everyone!

Posted by

Preethi

In her professional life, Preethi has dabbled in various combinations of education, community development and law. At heart, though, she's an overgrown child who thinks the world is one giant playground. She's currently on a quest to make learning come alive for young people and to bring the world's stories and cultures to them, with educational resources from One Story Learning.
Preethi

Discussion 16 Comments

[…] Every year, Bahá’ís the world over gather in their local communities on the 21st of April – the first day of Ridvan – to elect the nine members of their Local Spiritual Assembly. Every adult Baha’i at the age of […]

[…] Ridvan, The King of Festivals, upon us, we start to rejoice and reflect on all things Ridvan. With the […]

The Two Gardens of Ridvan | Baha'i Blog

The Two Gardens of Ridvan | Baha'i Blog (April 4, 2012 at 1:00 AM)

[…] Baha’is around the world commemorate the 12th and final day of Ridvan – a period to reflect on the day Baha’u'llah first proclaimed His message of unity to the […]

[…] day of Paradise commenced, the food was splendid and the fellowship was better. This was our big Ridvan celebration together, as by the next time we meet, Baha’u’llah will have already mounted that […]

[…] Baha’i's around the world continue to celebrate the 12 days of Ridvan, and local Baha’i communities in cities, towns and villages elect their Local Spiritual […]

[…] in News, Videos on May 2, 2013. As Baha’is around the world celebrated the last day of Ridvan and the Baha’i world witnessed the election of the Universal House of Justice, the […]

[…] Declaration of the Bab is one of two “Most Great Festivals” (the other being Ridvan) and it is celebrated by Baha’is around the world as a Holy Day from the evening of May […]

Oh thank you, thank you. My dear friend/sister sent me your post. This is my first visit here but not my last. Just looking at the picture transported me back to the Garden and my heart rejoiced. What a wonderful day it is and you have just made it more special. I will be sharing this tonight as we form our newly elected Assembly tonight.
Love to you, Sharon

Sharon Joyce

Sharon Joyce (April 4, 2014 at 4:53 PM)

Thank you Preethi for a wonderful article on Ridvan! Our Assembly is organizing a celebration of the 9th Day of Ridvan and some of your ideas will be put to work.

I am glad you came out of your law library 🙂

Baha’i Love
Ross

Ross

Ross (April 4, 2014 at 8:29 PM)

Thank you so much Preethi it brought joy to me

Malia Knoors-Bastan

Malia Knoors-Bastan (April 4, 2015 at 8:36 PM)

Thank you, sir!

Rooplall

Rooplall (April 4, 2015 at 2:30 AM)

tq so much Preeti, for wonderful Ridvan articles.
ringoh

Rengadhar Ringoh

Rengadhar Ringoh (April 4, 2015 at 4:48 AM)

Hlo

Wow ! What a good article.

Thank you very much.

TX

Kindest regards,

Francina

Francina Eksteen

Francina Eksteen (April 4, 2015 at 1:23 PM)

[…] for Ridvan’.  I felt inspired to compose a song that everyone could sing together for the Baha’i Festival of Ridvan.  Click here to download the […]

As I was wondering about the festival of Ridvan and its 12 days and being in the middle of the river, couldn’t help but thinking about the verses in the Book of Revelation 22:

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads

Khosrow

Khosrow (April 4, 2016 at 8:39 PM)

How very beautiful the different verses not onlyh from the aujthor but also from readers of the article. The eloquence and the meanings behind these words are truly manifold and deserve to be read by the mulltitudes.

Dorita deLemos Down

Dorita deLemos Down (April 4, 2020 at 8:37 PM)

Leave a Reply to A song for Ridvan! - Elika Mahony| Vocalist, composer, pianist, and artist | Elika Mahony| Vocalist, composer, pianist, and artist Cancel reply

YOUR EMAIL WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED
REQUIRED FIELDS ARE MARKED *

"*" indicates required fields

Receive our regular newsletter

Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.

Find Communities in Australia

or Internationally

The arts and media have a critical role in how we share our community experiences. We’ve got resources, projects and more to help you get involved.

Visit our Creator Hub

Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.

What Baha’is Believe

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia.

We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures; and to elders both past and present.

Baha’i Blog is a non-profit independent initiative

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha’i Faith.