The annual Baha’i festival commemorates the 12 days when Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, resided in a garden called Ridván (Paradise) in Baghdad, Iraq.
The first (April 21), ninth (April 29) and 12th (May 12) are celebrated as holy days when work is suspended.
Bahá’ís within the Thames Valley Bahá’í Community will be joining other Bahá’ís throughout the world for the annual Bahá’í fast in March.
The last month in the Bahá’í calendar – 2 March to 20 March – is dedicated to the Bahá’í fast. During this time Bahá’ís between 15 and 70 years old don’t eat or drink for 19 days from sunrise to sunset and also set aside time for prayer and meditation.
It was Bahá’u’lláh who designated a 19-day period each year when adult Bahá’ís fast each day. This period is the month immediately preceding the Bahá’í new year on 21 March.
The period of fasting is viewed as a time of spiritual preparation and regeneration for a new year’s activities.
Thames Valley Bahá’í Community 