About the Bahá’í Calendar

Bahá’í Holy Days

Each year, Bahá’ís around the world commemorate 11 Holy Days, each marking a moment of profound spiritual and historical significance. These sacred occasions are observed through gatherings—ranging from intimate to communal, large to small—which often include prayers, music, and reflections that honor the deeper meaning of the day.
The Bahá’í calendar is solar-based, beginning at the spring equinox. However, two Holy Days—the Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh—follow a lunar reckoning and therefore vary each year.
Note: Bahá’ís are encouraged to suspend work and school attendance on all Holy Days except the Day of the Covenant and the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

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Naw-Rúz – The Bahá’í New Year, celebrated on the vernal equinox, signifying spiritual renewal and the beginning of a new calendar year.

First Day of Ridván – Marks the start of the twelve-day Festival of Ridván (“Paradise” in Arabic), commemorating Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission as a Messenger of God in the Garden of Ridván near Baghdad.

Ninth Day of Ridván – The day Bahá’u’lláh’s family joined Him in the Garden of Ridván.

Twelfth Day of Ridván – The day Bahá’u’lláh and His family departed the garden to begin their journey to Constantinople.

Declaration of the Báb – Commemorates the Báb’s announcement of His mission on the evening of May 22, 1844, in Shiraz, Persia.

Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh – Marks the passing of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892, observed with reverence and prayer.

Martyrdom of the Báb – Honors the Báb’s execution in 1850, a moment of deep sacrifice and courage.

Birth of the Báb – Celebrates the birth of Siyyid `Alí-Muhammad, the Báb, in 1819 in Shiraz, Persia. (Date determined by lunar calendar)

Birth of Bahá’u’lláh – Celebrates the birth of Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alíy-i-Núrí, Bahá’u’lláh, in 1817 in Tehran, Iran. (Date determined by lunar calendar)

Day of the Covenant* – Commemorates Bahá’u’lláh’s appointment of His Son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the Center of His Covenant and interpreter of His teachings.

Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá* – Marks the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921.

Other significant days

Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) – A joyful period prior to the Fast, dedicated to hospitality, generosity, charity, and gift-giving.

The 19-Day Fast – A time of spiritual discipline and reflection. From the age of 15, Bahá’ís fast from sunrise to sunset for 19 days leading up to Naw-Rúz. Exemptions apply for those who are ill, elderly, pregnant, nursing, or traveling.

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The Spiritual Significance of Time

Shoghi Effendi describes the spiritual transformation brought by the Báb’s new division of time:
“The Báb, the Primal Point of a new creation, brought humanity into a new division of time in a calendar of nineteen months. All through our past heritage the months of the years and the days of the week have borne the names of pagan feasts and Roman holidays. The Báb swept these ancient landmarks away, and replaced them by the Qualities of: Splendour, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion, and Loftiness. Meditating upon these sublime attributes, man is enabled to gaze beyond the curve of time, wherein the swing and change of planetary movements exists, to the eternal qualities that stabilize the soul.”