Tag Archives Bicentenary

Fire and Light: An Album Dedicated to Baha’u’llah by Peter Held

Interviews, Music 2 Comments

German pianist and composer, Peter Held, has produced a nuanced jazz album of devotional music dedicated to Baha’u’llah in the bicentennial year of His Birth. The album is called Fire and Light and it contains 18 acoustic and instrumental piano tracks with titles such as “Traces of the Beloved” and “Morning Hour”.

Fire and Light isn’t Peter’s first devotional album. He also released Creation, on which Corinne Bahia sings a selection of Baha’i Writings in accompaniment with Peter’s piano music.

We decided to get in touch with Peter to find out more about his music and what inspired Fire and Light: Continue reading →

An Interview with Ramine Yazhari About ‘Rejoice’

Interviews, Music 2 Comments

Ramine Yazhari has released a devotional album in honour of the bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah. The album is titled Rejoice and its melodies are soaring (you can stream it here on Bandcamp). Last year, Ramine released a single called ‘This Newborn Child’ and I listened to it over and over and over again, finding inspiration each time I heard it. You may also recognize Ramine’s voice from his devotional album dedicated to the centenary of Abdu’l-Baha’s travels to the West, Long Journey. I was glad to learn that Rejoice had been released and Ramine very graciously agreed to tell us a little about how the album came together. I hope you enjoy our conversation:

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Streamed Bicentenary Celebrations from Baha’i Houses of Worship

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Photo courtesy of the Baha'i International Community

As celebrations in honour of the Bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah, Prophet-founder 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 and we definitely encourage you to take a journey around the world by watching them! Continue reading →

Glimpses of the Bicentenary from Around the World Part II

Baha'i Life, News Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but I’m still basking in the glow of having celebrated the Bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-founder of the Baha’i Faith! The jubilation felt around all over the planet is sustaining me in more ways than one!

This joy has been captured on bicentenary.bahai.org, the official website for the bicentenary aimed at connecting and sharing some of these wonderful celebrations and initiatives!

Here we share just a few more of the stories and images found on bicentenary.bahai.org, in addition to what we highlighted in our post, “Glimpses of the Bicentenary from Around the World”. Be sure to check out the official Bicentenary site for a richer and more vibrant experience!
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Special Website Dedicated to the Bicentenary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah

News 1 Comment

To capture the jubilant celebrations occurring all over the planet, the Baha’i International Community has released a special website dedicated to the Bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah, Prophet-founder of the Baha’i Faith. This official website, bicentenary.bahai.org, aims to inspire and encourage and it will unfold in the days surrounding the Birth of Baha’u’llah–so it’s definitely worth visiting over and over again. It’s also available in six languages: English, Russian, Spanish, French, Persian, and Arabic! Continue reading →

An Interview with Elika Mahony About “The Ancient Beauty”

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The melodious Elika Mahony has composed an album, titled The Ancient Beauty, in honour of the Bicentenary anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah. Elika’s voice has a way of elevating your soul and this celebratory album is particularly uplifting.

Elika graciously shared with us what it was like to put together this album for this historic celebration.  Continue reading →

“Light of Unity” Dinner Party Booklet for the Bicentenary

Books, Resources 1 Comment

There are so many great initiatives and resources coming to life as a result of all the excitement and efforts of thousands of Baha’is across the globe as they prepare to celebrate this very special time which marks the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith.

One of those initiatives that recently grabbed my attention is the “Light of Unity” Dinner Party Booklet, which Baha’is can use in 2017 and 2019 to host dinner parties in celebration of the bicentenary anniversaries of the Births of the Bab and Baha’u’llah.

Joyce Litoff, a member of the US Baha’i Office of Communications and editor of the “Light of Unity” booklet agreed to answer some questions about the booklet and this project:  Continue reading →

Stories of Baha’u’llah Told by Children

Videos 5 Comments

“Stories of Baha’u’llah” is a series of short videos produced by Clark Donnelly and Mary Darling of Westwind Pictures. You may have already seen their work, such as The Baha’is, or Tablets of the Divine Plan.

In this sweet and sincere series of videos, each video consists of a child telling us a one particular story relating to Baha’u’llah.

I got in touch with Mary Darling to find out more about the initiative, and here’s what she had to say: Continue reading →

Celebrating the Upcoming Bicentenary of Baha’u’llah’s Birth

Baha'i Life, Holy Days 2 Comments

The Bab and Baha’u’llah were Twin Manifestations in a spiritual sense, as they both unfurled the Baha’i Dispensation, but also in a temporal sense, due to the closeness of their ages and birthdays. The anniversaries of their birthdays fall on consecutive days; this year, they occur on Saturday, October 21 (the Birth of the Bab), and Sunday, October 22 (the Birth of Baha’u’llah). The Twin Birthdays are always commemorated as Holy Days, anniversaries when Baha’is are asked to suspend work in honor of the occasion’s sanctity.

Early last year, Baha’is around the world were reminded by the Universal House of Justice, the international Baha’i administrative body, that two bicentennial anniversaries were approaching: the 200th birthday of Baha’u’llah, born in 1817 in Tehran, Iran, and the 200th birthday of the Bab, born in 1819 in Shiraz, Iran. Baha’is around the world are taking the opportunity afforded by this year’s Bicentenary to reflect on how our communities can share the teachings of the Bab and Baha’u’llah. Continue reading →