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The Bahá'í calendar, common to the Bahá'í Faith, is a solar calendar with regular years 365 days long and leap years 366 days long as explained within the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Years are composed of 19 months of 19 days each, plus an extra period of "Intercalary Days" (4 in regular and 5 in leap years) between the 18th and 19th months (26 February to 1 March). Years in the Bahá'í calendar begin at the vernal equinox (usually March 21 in the Gregorian calendar). Days begin at sunset on the previous solar day and end at sunset of the present solar day.
The final month of ‘Alá’ (2 March - 20 March) is the Nineteen Day Fast, preceded by the intercalary days known as Ayyám-i-Há, and followed by Naw-Rúz (New year).
History
The Bahá'í calendar started from the original Badí‘ calendar, created by the Báb. Bahá'u'lláh confirmed and adopted this calendar and made Naw-Rúz or the vernal equinox (which can be on the 20th, 21st, or 22nd of March) the first day of the year, and also clarified the interacalary days.
Shoghi Effendi declared that, for the time being, the Badí‘ calendar is 'locked' to the Gregorian calendar with the new year always starting at sunset on 20 March. Without this, the calendar could vary by a day or two when compared to the Gregorian calendar. The implementation of the variable calendar with respect to the beginning of Naw-Rúz will require the Universal House of Justice selecting a single location for the fixing of the date of the equinox *. This 'locked' calendar is the one described in this article.
Years in the Bahá'í calendar are counted from Thursday, 21 March, 1844, the beginning of the Bahá'í Era or Badí‘ Era (abbreviated BE or B.E.). Year 1 BE thus began at sundown 20 March 1844. Using the Bahá'í names for the weekday and month, day one of the Bahá'í Era was Istijlál (Majesty), 1 Bahá' (Splendour) 1 BE. As detailed below, the names of the Bahá'í months and days reflect attibutes of God.
Bahá'í months
| Arabic Name | Arabic Script | English Translation | Gregorian Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahá' | بهاء | Splendour | 21 March - 8 April |
| Jalál | جلال | Glory | 9 April - 27 April |
| Jamál | جمال | Beauty | 28 April - 16 May |
| ‘Aẓamat | عظمة | Grandeur | 17 May - 4 June |
| Núr | نور | Light | 5 June - 23 June |
| Raḥmat | رحمة | Mercy | 24 June - 12 July |
| Kalimát | كلمات | Words | 13 July - 31 July |
| Kamál | كمال | Perfection | 1 August - 19 August |
| Asmá’ | اسماء | Names | 20 August - 7 September |
| ‘Izzat | عزة | Might | 8 September - 26 September |
| Mashíyyat | مشية | Will | 27 September - 15 October |
| ‘Ilm | علم | Knowledge | 16 October - 3 November |
| Qudrat | قدرة | Power | 4 November - 22 November |
| Qawl | قول | Speech | 23 November - 11 December |
| Masá’il | مسائل | Questions | 12 December - 30 December |
| Sharaf | شرف | Honour | 31 December - 18 January |
| Sulṭán | سلطان | Sovereignty | 19 January - 6 February |
| Mulk | ملك | Dominion | 7 February - 25 February |
| Ayyám-i-Há' | ايام الهاء | Intercalary Days | 26 February - 1 March |
| ‘Alá’ | علاء | Loftiness | 2 March - 20 March (Month of fasting) |
Bahá'í Holy Days
| Name | Gregorian Dates | Work Suspended |
|---|---|---|
| Naw-Rúz (Bahá'í New Year) | March 21 | Yes |
| First day of Riḍván (Arabic: رضوان) | April 21 | Yes |
| Ninth day of Riḍván | April 29 | Yes |
| Twelfth day of Riḍván | May 2 | Yes |
| Declaration of the Báb | May 23 | Yes |
| Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh | May 29 | Yes |
| Martyrdom of the Báb | July 9 | Yes |
| Birth of the Báb | October 20 | Yes |
| Birth of Bahá'u'lláh | November 12 | Yes |
| Day of the Covenant | November 26 | No |
| Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá | November 28 | No |
Bahá'í week
| Arabic Name | Arabic Script | English Translation | Day of the Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jalál | جلال | Glory | Saturday |
| Jamál | جمال | Beauty | Sunday |
| Kamál | كمال | Perfection | Monday |
| Fiḍál | فضال | Grace | Tuesday |
| ‘Idál | عدال | Justice | Wednesday |
| Istijlál | استجلال | Majesty | Thursday |
| Istiqlál | استقلال | Independence | Friday |
Váḥid and Kull-i-Shay’
Also existing in the Bahá'í calendar system is a 19-year cycle called Váḥid and a 361-year (19x19) supercycle called Kull-i-Shay’ (literally, "All Things"). The 9th Váḥid of the 1st Kull-i-Shay’ started in 1996. The 2nd Kull-i-Shay’ will begin on 21 March 2204. (1844 is year 1 of the Bahá'í system)
Years in a Váḥid:
| No. | Arabic Name | Arabic Script | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alif | أﻟﻒ | A |
| 2 | Bá’ | باء | B |
| 3 | Ab | أب | Father |
| 4 | Dál | دﺍﻝ | D |
| 5 | Báb | باب | Gate |
| 6 | Váv | وﺍو | V |
| 7 | Abad | أبد | Eternity |
| 8 | Jád | جاد | Generosity |
| 9 | Bahá' | بهاء | Splendour |
| 10 | Ḥubb | حب | Love |
| 11 | Bahháj | بهاج | Delightful |
| 12 | Javáb | جواب | Answer |
| 13 | Aḥad | احد | Single |
| 14 | Vahháb | وﻫﺎب | Bountiful |
| 15 | Vidád | وداد | Affection |
| 16 | Badí‘ | بديء | Beginning |
| 17 | Bahí | بهي | Luminous |
| 18 | Abhá | ابهى | Most Luminous |
| 19 | Váḥid | واحد | Unity |
The concept of a 19-year cycle has existed in some form since the 4th century BC. The Metonic cycle represents an invented measure that approximately correlates solar and lunar markings of time and which appears in several calendar systems.
Miscellany
For several early years after Tom Morey founded what would become Morey Watersports, the boogie boards his company produced were stamped with the B.E. year of production. This may have been the first "external" use of B.E. dates (and almost certainly the first on a commercial product).
See also
- Calendar
- Bahá'í Faith
- Intercalation
- Translation of each month to local languages.
- 19 (number)
References
External links
Specific calendars | Bahá'í practices
Bahá’í kalendář | Baha'i-Kalender | Calendario bahá'í | Bahaa kalendaro | Bahá'u'lláh-kalendario | Bahajų kalendorius | Bahaikalender | Calendário bahá'í | Календарь бахаи | Bahaikalendern
"Bahá'í calendar"