Baha'i Holy Days

[arthra]

I wanted to start a thread on Baha'i Holy Days and hope to post on them throughout the year.

Baha'i Holy Days are open to anyone to particpate in... You don't have to be a Baha'i. Since our communities are often small we generally celebrate our Holy Days in each other homes, but some communities have Baha'i Centers and so they have larger celebrations where more Baha'i attend.

There are actually three Baha'i Holy Days in November:

November 12 - Birth of Baha'u'llah

( Work and School suspended)

November 26 - Day of the Covenant

( Work and School not suspended)

November 28 - Ascension of 'Abdul-Baha

( Work and School not suspended)

Baha'is gather for prayers at 1:00 AM as this was the time of day Abdul-Baha ascended to the Spiritual Worlds.

_________________________

Very often there are special things that Baha'is will be planning for these days...so any Baha'is out there be sure to share some of these unique events!

Here is an excellent site with more information on the Baha'i Calendar:

http://www.bahaindex.com/modules.php...howpage&pid=66

- Art

[SMKolins]

Originally Posted by arthra

There are actually three Baha'i Holy Days in November:

November 12 - Birth of Baha'u'llah

As a circumstantial context some might find interesting I also note this period with the Leonid Meteor shower which plays an enormous role in a variety of ways. First, in 1833, this meteor shower put on a show that overawed wide swaths of America - from slave owners to Lakota indians - people took note:

here, here, and here and mentioned per the Lakota near the bottom of here.

The meteor shower also played a role in igniting the hobby as well as the science of watching meteors and the meteor showers around the year were discovered. In more recent years there was a great leap forward. Storms of meteors had never been well explained until the late 90's with any reasonable success. Now it is thought that there is a carefull dance of gravity which aligns trails of dust left by the sources of meteor showers and then occasionally the earth wanders through the exact path. Some were noticed and mapped and confirmed.

For those looking for other links to such an experience consider that the Leonid meteor showever happens to appear from near the head of Leo the Lion of the zodiac. The meteor shower might be referred to in prophecy, and it so happens Leo is mentioned in the Baha'i scriptures:

"Consider, for example, the sun: its transit from one zodiacal sign to the next occurreth within a short period of time, yet only after a long period doth it attain the plenitude of its resplendency, its heat and glory, in the sign of Leo. It must first complete one full revolution through the other constellations before it will enter the sign of Leo again, to blaze out in its full splendour. In its other stations, it revealeth not the fullness of its heat and light."here and this is linked with Baha'u'llah. That is to say that though he was born in November, his place in the long scale history of religion is as the sun in august, which is when the sun is in Leo, and the period where the light and heat, the glory if you will, of the Sun of God, is revealed in it's greatest extent.

[arthra]

Yes the Great Star Fall of 1833 was well noted...

See

http://finalevents.com/Event1/Sign06.asp?p=O

And this one is a personal description of the Great Star Fall of 1833:

http://www.rense.com/ufo4/greatstorm.htm

There were those who believed the Judgment Day was near at hand, and undertook to prove out of the Scriptures that this was one of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. One old lady was emphatic in the statement that it was certainly a "token of some sign." Statements made even by good-meaning people were often quite erroneous. Some men declared that they saw great balls of fire fall into the water, and heard the sizzling noise, like that made when a red-hot iron is thrown into a slake-tub. Others thought they saw these great balls of fire bursting among the tree-tops.

[SMKolins]

Another contextual syzygy for Nov 11 is perhaps alittle more well known, and at the same time perhaps alittle less.

The modern day American holiday of Veteran's Day. Nov 11, 1918, at 11am, (yes, that would be 11/11/18 @ 11am,) all hostilities ceased and WWI ended. The event is of such magnetude of course that it transcends any one country's notice. It started as an observance of the signing of the Armistice, or ending of hostilities. Then it became a rembrance of those fallen in the "War to end all wars" which of course we did a terrible job of starting with the Peace Treaty, one the United States never even signed and actively opposed certain elements of. Now, far from signalizing the moment peace settled upon the land, still far from commemorating those who have fallen in the Great War, it has become a memorialization of those who fell and continue to fall, or who have fought, in war. But it started very well. A plan was set forth to be exactly that. But President Wilson's 14 Points, while not generally adopted, signilize, to Baha'is a very great honor and duty - "To her President, the immortal Woodrow Wilson, must be ascribed the unique honor, among the statesmen of any nation, whether of the East or of the West, of having voiced sentiments so akin to the principles animating the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, and of having more than any other world leader, contributed to the creation of the League of Nations--achievements which the pen of the Center of God's Covenant acclaimed as signalizing the dawn of the Most Great Peace, whose sun, according to that same pen, must needs arise as the direct consequence of the enforcement of the laws of the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh."

Interesting that 9-11 and 11-11 should be so closely associated numerically, and fundamentally, with peace one way or another.

[SMKolins]

Another aspect of WWI which Baha'is take special note of is related to events of WWI in Palesitine less than two months before....

For those looking for content reviewing this period, one of some of the most momentous for the Baha'is and the world at large, and how closely they intertwined, I would commend the book "The Servant, The General, and Armageddon" which synthesizes a number of first hand accounts into a history of events, a narative. Unfortunately I can find no significant reference to the work online except from it's publisher. Some other references speak of these events as well (1 and 2 for example.)

The abstract of the book is as follows:

"They called the kings together at the place, called in Hebrew, Armageddon. The seventh angel emptied his bowl into the air, and a voice shouted from the sanctuary, 'The end has come'. Then there were flashes of lightning and peals of thunder and the most violent earthquake that anyone has ever seen since there have been men on the earth. Revelation 16:16-18

The world war, which has raged across Europe, North Africa and the Ottoman Empire for four years, is finally drawing to a close. General Edmund H. H. Allenby - broad-shouldered, square-jawed man possessed of great physical strength, 'an explosive general' - marches his army north past Megiddo, 'the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon'. The goal: the town of Haifa in the north of Palestine.

In Haifa the small and terrified Bahá'í community gathers in the house of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the head of the Bahá'í Faith. 'Abdu'l-Bahá calms the excited Bahá'ís and calls them to prayer. He assures them that all will be well. But His own life has been threatened by the Ottoman leader, Djemal Pasha. Here is the intriguing story of a battle foretold in the Hebrew Bible that linked the lives of two men who shaped history in very different ways. Published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Armageddon."

However a paper by an individual Baha'i covering many of the issues, and looking more at prophecies about Armageddon, can be found here.

[arthra]

Baha'i Holy Day - Birth of Baha'u'llah

This coming Saturday we're having a small gathering of Baha'is and others at a friend's home to commemorate the anniversary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah. Meanwhile, I'll also be checking the night time skies for some of those Leonid meteors we talked about above.

The Tablet of Visitation is often read or recited for this event...

This prayer begins with the words:

"The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and the Day-Stars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, and the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation. I testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injunction "Be Thou" hath been enforced, and God's hidden Secret hath been divulged, and all created things have been called into being, and all the Revelations have been sent down. .."

The full text can be read at

http://www.bahai-library.com/writing...ah/pm/180.html

- Art

[arthra]

Opening excerpt from a letter by Dale Lehman:


The Birth of Bahá'u'lláh
by Dale E. Lehman

"Bahá'u'lláh was born on November 12, 1817, two years before the Báb, Whose revelation set the stage for His own. As with the Báb, there are no elaborate traditions surrounding His birth. He was born Husayn Alíy-i-Núrí in Tehran. His father was Mírzá Abbás Núrí, also known as Mírzá Buzurg, a prominent and wealthy man who had been a minister at the court of Fath-'Alí Sháh and subsequently the governor of Burujird and Luristan. When Fath-'Alí Sháh died in 1834, his son Muhammad Sháh executed a government purge in which Mírzá Buzurg was stripped of his title and his government salary but retained the Núrí family estates.

Bahá'u'lláh's early life reflected his well-to-do circumstances. He received the education typical of a child of the minor nobility: riding, calligraphy, and Arabic (so as to be able to read the Qur'án). Yet unlike many privileged children, He developed no attachment to wealth and ease.

As with Jesus and the Báb, a few stories have been handed down regarding Bahá'u'lláh's childhood, stories that indicate He was no ordinary boy. A number of these were compiled by Hand of the Cause of God 'Alí-Akbar Furútan in his book, Stories of Bahá'u'lláh. One parallels an old Christian tradition about the infant Jesus:


"The mother of [Bahá'u'lláh] was so enthralled with Him that she could not contain her amazement at His behavior. 'This child never cries,' she would say; 'He is so unlike other babies who cry and scream and are forever restless while in the nursing stage..."
(p. 1)

Another story recalls a dream that Bahá'u'lláh related to His father. In His dream, He was in a garden while huge birds attacked him on all sides. Yet the birds were unable to harm Him. He then went to sea, where He was attacked by birds and fish, but again wasn't harmed. His father summoned a famous seer to interpret the dream, and was told that His son would become the founder of a great Cause and would be attacked by the leaders and learned men of the world. But they would be unable to harm Him, and He would be victorious over them all.

Bahá'u'lláh developed a fine sense of justice and fairness at a very young age. Throughout His life He would display these qualities, but perhaps one of the most remarkable demonstrations of this came while He was still a child. He witnessed three confrontations between His father and a tax collector who was "in a cruel and unjust manner" demanding payment. Incensed, Bahá'u'lláh rode to Tehran, a journey of two days, and sought the dismissal of the "tyrannical" tax collector. Incredibly, He was successful in His quest..."

To read the complete article go to:

http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/a....pl?article=11

[arthra]

This evening November 26th is a Holy Day known as The Day of the Covenant. It is not one of our Holy Days where work and school are suspended..but it is an important Holy Day nonetheless when we remember Abdul-Baha the Center of the Covenant appointed by Abdul-Baha. We also remember Shoghi Effendi as the Guardian appointed by Abdul-Baha.

"Covenant" is an important term in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and it is important as well for Baha'is.

There is an eternal covenant we believe that God made with man that He would never leave us alone. Down through the ages God has sent His Messengers and Prophets to confirm the ancient covenant and to make lesser covenants and promises with mankind to recognize and follow the Divine Message appropriate for the day.

Excerpts from the Baha'i Writings on the Covenant and it's meaning can be found at

http://bahai-library.com/compilations/covenant.html

[arthra]

Baha'is have one last Holy Day in the month of November called the Ascension of Abdul-Baha... this is usually observed at 1:00 AM early Monday morning of November 28th. Baha'is gather at this time to say prayers because Abdul-Baha the eldest son of Baha'u'llah and His appointed Interpreter ascended from this world at this time 1:00 AM on the 28th of November in 1921. He was seventy seven years old and had lived most all His life in imprisonment or exile with His Father Baha'u'llah. Abdul-Baha was born in 1844 about the same time the Bab declared His Mission in Shiraz.

Abdul-Baha preferred the title Servant of Baha and in HIs own words described His Station:

"Thou hast asked concerning the station of this servant. The station of this servant is servitude to the Holy Threshold (BAHA’O’LLAH) and I glory and honor in this. Abdul-Baha is the standard of the divine love, the sign of the gift of God, the servant of the assemblage of the merciful ones, the light of the meeting of the spiritual ones. He is the orb of peace and reconciliation and the light of love in the world of humanity. He is the herald of the Kingdom of the Merciful One and the promulgator of the religion of rectitude and security. This is the station of this servant! This is the Truth!"

The Tablet of Visitation found at the end of "Baha'i Prayers" published in 2002 by the Baha'i Publishing Trust was revealed by Abdul-Baha and is read at His Shrine. It is suitably recited by Baha'is on this occasion of His ascension.

We say that He "ascended" because we believe the soul leaves the body and ascends to the spiritual worlds in it's journey to the Presence of God.

- Art

[SMKolins]

Originally Posted by arthra

Baha'is gather at this time to say prayers because Abdul-Baha the eldest son of Baha'u'llah and His appointed Interpreter

I would emphasize His position as Center of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah - a position like unto Peter and Ali for Christianity and Islam respectively, and yet with many details unique to Him, not least of which is specific and unique authority as Interpreter and Exempler - sometimes summarized by His title Master even though He prefered 'Abdu'l-Baha - "Servant of the Glory of God".

In the regions of Haifa (today of Israel) perhaps no one had not heard of Him - tens of thousands turned out for His burial service at which leaders of other religions spoke of Him in glowing terms and almost none of the crowd were of His specific religion. He was widely known for the sincerity of His generosity, and His active support of the community both in a font of wisdom and advise and care and in deeds of delivering medicines, food and all manner of charity, and industry. In advanced years He survived the harrowing conditions imposed by WWI as well as periodic threats from religious fanatics both from within and without the Baha'i Faith - indeed transcended all these oppositions so much that though He from the age of a boy was untaught and imprisoned He still arose to travel Europe and America promulgating the causes that raised peace and reconciliation, warning of the seeds of warfare and injustice in society and government. Most of His speaches were recorded and are available in numerous volumes. It is said that Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" was inspired by his meeting and prolonged association with 'Abdu'-Baha. It is certain some battles and strategies of WWI were chosen specifically to ensure His safety - indeed much of Lawrence of Arabia's activities were distractions specifically so that the military of Turkey and Germany would be focused elsewhere.