Naw-Rúz

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Naw-Rúz ordained as a Feast to follow the Fast

"O Pen of the Most High! Say: O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Rúz as a feast. Thus hath the Day-Star of Utterance shone forth above the horizon of the Book as decreed by Him Who is the Lord of the beginning and the end."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 16)

Nature of Naw-Ruz

"...This sacred day, when the sun illumines equally the whole earth, is called the equinox, and the equinox is the symbol of the Manifestation of God. The Sun of Truth rises on the horizon of Divine Mercy and sends forth its rays. This day is consecrated to commemorate it...."

(Talk by Abdu'l-Bahá, March 21, 1913: Star of the West, Vol. V, No. 1, p. 4, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1025)

Naw-Rúz to be greated with joy and befitting actions which show thanks

"Happy the one who entereth upon the first day of the month of Bahá, the day which God hath consecrated to this Great Name. And blessed be he who evidenceth on this day the bounties that God hath bestowed upon him; he, verily, is of those who show forth thanks to God through actions betokening the Lord's munificence which hath encompassed all the worlds. Say: This day, verily, is the crown of all the months and the source thereof, the day on which the breath of life is wafted over all created things. Great is the blessedness of him who greeteth it with radiance and joy. We testify that he is, in truth, among those who are blissful."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 111)
"In the Bahá'í calendar the first month of the year and the first day of each month are given the name "Bahá". The day of Bahá of the month of Bahá is thus the Bahá'í New Year, Naw-Rúz, which was ordained by the Báb as a festival and is here confirmed by Bahá'u'lláh (see notes 26 and 147)."
(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, Kitáb-i-Aqdas Notes, no. 139)

The Naw-Rúz Feast is to include hospitality and rejoicing

"75 NAW-RÚZ FEAST (Observance of Feast Day Calendar)

"...the Naw-Rúz is our New Year, a Feast of hospitality and rejoicing."

((On behalf of?) Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 30)

Bahá'ís with one another should discontinue celebrating (Christmas and) New Years, and instead celebrate (Intercalary Days and) Naw-Rúz

"98 HOLY DAYS OF OTHER RELIGIONS

"As regards the celebration of the Christian Holiday by the believers; it is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and to have their festival gatherings of this nature instead during the Intercalary Days and Naw-Ruz...."

(On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 38)

(Slightly different version in Lights of Guidance:)

"As regards the celebration of the Christian Holidays by the believers: It is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and to have their festal gatherings of this nature instead during the intercalary days and Naw-Ruz."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 19, 1938, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1029)

Bahá'ís may celebrate cultural festivals (in addition to Bahá'í Holy Days) which have now nearly lost their religious connotations (such as Persians who celebrate the originally Zoroastrian Naw-Rúz), including Persian Bahá'ís who can incorporate their past cultural traditions in connection with this Feast (in addition to the Bahá'í observance))

"Bahá'ís should obviously be encouraged to preserve their inherited cultural identities, as long as the activities involved do not contravene the principles of the Faith. The perpetuation of such cultural characteristics is an expression of unity in diversity. Although most of these festive celebrations have no doubt stemmed from religious rituals in bygone ages, the believers should not be deterred from participating in those in which, over the course of time, the religious meaning has given way to purely culturally oriented practices. For example, Naw-Rúz itself was originally a Zoroastrian religious festival, but gradually its Zoroastrian connotation has almost been forgotten. Iranians, even after their conversion to Islam, have been observing it as a national festival. Now Naw-Rúz has become a Bahá'í Holy Day and is being observed throughout the world, but, in addition to the Bahá'í observance, many Iranian Bahá'ís continue to carry out their past cultural traditions in connection with this Feast. Similarly, there are a number of national customs in every part of the world which have cultural rather than religious connotations."

(Universal House of Justice, (26 May 1982, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, in Compilation on Aspects of Traditional African Culture no. 4)

The Naw-Rúz Festival to fall on the day when the sun first enters the sign of Aries

"QUESTION: Concerning Naw-Rúz.

"ANSWER: The Festival of Naw-Rúz falleth on the day that the sun entereth the sign of Aries {The vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere}, even should this occur no more than one minute before sunset."

(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Questions and Answers, no. 35)

Naw-Ruz, time to hold, and has nothing to do with the Nineteen Day Feast

"He would like to point out that if the believers gather before sundown on a certain date it does not matter if the meeting continues after sunset; it may still be considered as being held on the day they gathered. The Naw-Ruz Feast should be held on March 21 before sunset and has nothing to do with the 19-Day Feast. The 19-Day Feast is administrative in function whereas the Naw-Ruz is our New Year, a Feast of hospitality and rejoicing."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, July 5, 1950, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1026)

The choice of a particular spot on earth for determining the standard of Naw-Rúz is to be decided by the Universal House of Justice

"76 NAW-RÚZ, TIME OF CELEBRATION OF

"Regarding Naw-Rúz: If the vernal equinox falls on the 21st of March before sunset, it is celebrated on that day. If at any time after sunset, Naw-Rúz will then, as stated by Bahá'u'lláh, fall on the 22nd. As to which spot should be regarded as the standard, this is a matter which the Universal House of Justice will have to decide. The American NSA need not therefore take any action in this matter at present."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, May 15, 1940: Bahá'í News, No. 138, p. 1, September 1940, Directives from the Guardian, p. 30, also in Lights of Guidance, no. 1027)

"The Báb introduced a new calendar, known now as the Badí' or Bahá'í calendar (see notes 27 and 147). According to this calendar, a day is the period from sunset to sunset. In the Bayán, the Báb ordained the month of 'Alá' to be the month of fasting, decreed that the day of Naw-Rúz should mark the termination of that period, and designated Naw-Rúz as the Day of God. Bahá'u'lláh confirms the Badí' calendar wherein Naw-Rúz is designated as a feast.

"Naw-Rúz is the first day of the new year. It coincides with the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, which usually occurs on 21 March. Bahá'u'lláh explains that this feast day is to be celebrated on whatever day the sun passes into the constellation of Aries (i.e. the vernal equinox), even should this occur one minute before sunset (Q and A 35). Hence Naw-Rúz could fall on 20, 21, or 22 March, depending on the time of the equinox.

"Bahá'u'lláh has left the details of many laws to be filled in by the Universal House of Justice. Among these are a number of matters affecting the Bahá'í calendar. The Guardian has stated that the implementation, worldwide, of the law concerning the timing of Naw-Rúz will require the choice of a particular spot on earth which will serve as the standard for the fixing of the time of the spring equinox. He also indicated that the choice of this spot has been left to the decision of the Universal House of Justice.

(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, Kitáb-i-Aqdas Notes, no. 26)

The Naw-Rúz Feast is separate from the 19-day Feast which also falls at this time

"75 NAW-RÚZ FEAST (Observance of Feast Day Calendar)

"The Naw-Rúz Feast should be held on March 21 before sunset and has nothing to do with the 19-day Feast. The 19-day Feast is administrative in function whereas the Naw-Rúz is our New Year, a Feast of hospitality and rejoicing."

((On behalf of?) Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 30)

Writings for/about

Naw-Ruz Cards

"There is no objection to individual Bahá'ís sending Naw-Ruz cards if they want to; also the National Spiritual Assembly can send them out occasionally, but it should not become a fixed custom."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand, March 14, 1947: Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand, 1923-1957, p. 65, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1028)

See also

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