Category Archives Holy Days

Experience the Baha’i Gardens and the Shrines of the Bab and Baha’u’llah from Home

Holy Days, Resources Leave a comment

The gardens surrounding the Shrines of the Bab and Baha’u’llah in Israel are open to the public at designated times and they are visited by more than one million guests every year! In 2008, these unique structures and gardens were inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in recognition of their “outstanding universal value” as holy places and places of pilgrimage for followers of the Baha’i Faith.

As a precautionary measure and in compliance with health regulations regarding the coronavirus, the Shrines and their surrounding gardens have been closed. However, www.ganbahai.org.il, which is the official public website for visitor information to these holy places has just launched a new gallery of images and videos, including historical ones, so you can visit these special places from home. You can see them all here: http://gallery.ganbahai.org.il/

Continue reading →

“A Letter From God… unto God”: A Reflection on the Declaration of Baha’u’llah and His Connection to the Bab

History, Holy Days 7 Comments

On a hot April day in 1863 on the outskirts of Baghdad, Baha’u’llah entered the Najibiyyih Garden on the banks of the Tigris River. He spent the following twelve days accepting visitors for the last time before His departure to Constantinople. As this place was blessed with His presence, Baha’is now refer to it as the Ridvan (Paradise) Garden and commemorating these special 12 days is known as the Festival of Ridvan.  Continue reading →

Two Awesome 12 Day Ridvan Celebrations Online!

Holy Days, Videos 2 Comments

We’ve seen a diverse flourishing of online Baha’i-inspired initiatives in recent days and weeks as more and more people self-isolate due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As Baha’is and their friends around the world celebrate the 12 days of Ridvan in creative ways that are in keeping with the recommendations of health authorities, we’re especially excited to share two awesome initiatives which are taking place each of the 12 days of Ridvan to celebrate the whole Festival online.  Continue reading →

Garden of Ridvan: The Story of the Festival of Ridvan for Young Children

Books, Holy Days Leave a comment

Alhan Rahimi, who you may remember from her children’s book about the Declaration of the Bab or her book about the Birth of the Bab, has just released a new work for little ones related to Baha’i history and its holy days. Her latest book, illustrated by Alina Onipchenko, is called Garden of Ridvan: The Story of the Festival of Ridvan for Young Children and it’s a fantastic resource.

Told from the perspective of one of the garden’s nightingales, this book features soft colorful images and repetition. Written with children around 5 years old or younger in mind, this book is sure to help foster an understanding of the beauty and significance of the Festival of Ridvan.  Continue reading →

New Children’s Books About Ayyam-i-Ha by Elaheh Bos

Books, Holy Days, Interviews Leave a comment

I have never personally met Elaheh Bos but I am so grateful for the materials and resources she creates and produces for children. Her latest: a story book, During Ayyam-i-Ha: How We Celebrate, and an activity book, Ayyam-i-Ha Crafts. (Not sure what Ayyam-i-Ha is? Here’s a Baha’i Blog article called “An Introduction to Ayyam-i-Ha” that might help!)

With the multiple-day Baha’i festival just around the corner, I am thrilled Elaheh was able to share a little bit about her new books. Here’s what she said:  Continue reading →

19 More Glimpses of the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab Celebrations Around the World!

Holy Days, News 1 Comment

We recently published 19 Glimpses of the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab Celebrations Around the World! in order to share just a glimpse of the many celebrations happening around the world in honor of the bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab, which are featured on the official bicentenary website from the Baha’i World Centre. Seeing as this is really such a special occasion in the history of the Baha’i Faith, and it’s a once in a lifetime thing, we thought we’d share another 19 glimpses of bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab celebrations happening around the world, which can be found on the official bicentenary website.

Here they are listed in alphabetical order, and if you click on the country or image, it’ll take you to more related images: Continue reading →

19 Glimpses of the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Bab Celebrations Around the World!

Holy Days 2 Comments

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: Continue reading →

Bicentenary Events at Baha’i Houses of Worship Around the World: A Roundup of Live-stream Recordings

Holy Days, Videos Leave a comment

As celebrations in honour of the bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of the Bab, Prophet-herald of the Baha’i Faith, unfolded around the planet special events held at the Baha’i Houses of Worship were live-streamed from the official website for the Bicentenary, bicentenary.bahai.org. The majority of these events were recorded and can now be watched at any time on the Baha’i World Centre’s YouTube channel and we definitely encourage you to take a journey around the world by watching them! Continue reading →

Bicentenary Website Showcases Artistic Expression from Around the World

Art & Creative Works, Holy Days, News Leave a comment

At Baha’i Blog, we’re huge fans of artistic expressions so we wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the wonderful section on the official bicentenary website dedicated to artistic expressions from around the world in honour of the 200th anniversary of the Birth of the Bab, Prophet-herald of the Baha’i Faith.

From Bolivia to Iraq, and from Singapore to the Netherlands, this website showcases various artistic initiatives and activities created by individuals and communities, and the page is constantly being updated too! Continue reading →

Live Streaming of Bicentenary Celebrations at Temples Around the World

Baha'i Life, Holy Days, News 1 Comment

The official website of the bicentenary celebrations of the Birth of the Bab, Prophet-herald of the Baha’i Faith, has just added a broadcast schedule of events occurring at many Baha’i Houses of Worship around the world.

The schedule, which can be seen in full here, includes a useful indicator of how many hours remain until the broadcast from a specific House of Worship. These celebrations, occurring at Houses of Worship, or Temples, in India, Australia, Samoa, Panama, Cambodia, the United States, Germany, Uganda, Colombia and Chile will be live streamed directly from the bicentenary website: bicentenary.bahai.org Continue reading →