Ayyám-i-Há
February 25-March 1
Also known as Days of Ha, the Ayyam-i-Ha are intercalary days (extra days inserted in a calendar) in the Baha'i calendar. The calendar is made up of 19 months of 19 days each (361 days), plus the period of four days (five in leap years) of Ayyam-i-Ha added between the 18th and 19th months, which allows for the year to be adjusted to the solar cycle. The days are set aside for rejoicing, hospitality, gift-giving, special acts of charity, and spiritually preparing for the Baha'i fast, from March 2-20. March 21 is New Year's Day, Nawruz, and the first day of the Baha'i calendar.
The new calendar was inaugurated by Mirza Ali Mohammad, known as the Bab, founder of the Babi religion from which the Baha'i faith emerged. Baha'is believe that the new age of unity they foresee should have a new calendar free of the associations of the older calendars.
The Baha'i observe nine days on which work connected with trade, commerce, industry, and agriculture should be suspended. These days are the first, ninth, and 12th days of the Feast of Ridvan, Nawruz, the anniversaries of the Bab's birth, declaration, and martyrdom, and the birth and ascension of Baha' u'lah.
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Ayyám-i-Há
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| Key scripture | |
| Kitáb-i-Aqdas · Kitáb-i-Íqán |
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| Institutions | |
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Administrative Order |
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| History | |
| Notable individuals | |
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Shoghi Effendi |
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Symbols · Laws |
Ayyám-i-Há refers to a period of four or five intercalary days in the Bahá'í calendar, where Bahá'ís celebrate the Festival of Ayyám-i-Há.[1] The four or five days occur in between the 18th and 19th months of the calendar from February 26 to March 1 and allow for the Bahá'í calendar to be synchronized with the solar year with regular years of 365 days, and leap years of 366 days.[2]
History
The Báb, the founder of the Bábí Faith, instituted the Badí‘ calendar in the Persian Bayán with 19 months of 19 days each and a period of intercalary days to allow for the calendar to be solar. The introduction of intercalation marked an important break from Islam, as under the Islamic calendar the practice of intercalation had been specifically prohibited in the Qur'an.[3] The Báb did not, however, specify where the intercalary days should go.[3] Bahá'u'lláh, who claimed to be the one foretold by the Báb, confirmed and adopted the Badi calendar in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, his book of laws.[3] He placed the intercalary days before the fasting month of `Alá, the nineteenth and last month,[4] and gave the intercalary days the name "Ayyám-i-Há" or "Days of Ha".[3][4]
Symbolism and celebration
The nineteen months of the Bahá'í calendar are named after the attributes of God.[5] Ayyám-i-Há, which means the "Days of Há" — Há is the Arabic letter corresponding to the English H — commemorates the transcendence of God over his attributes, since its name "Há" has been used as a symbol of the essence of God in the Bahá'í holy writings.[3][6] Under the Arabic abjad system, the letter Há has the numerical value of five, which is equal to the maximum number of days in Ayyam-i-Há.[3]
During the Festival of Ayyám-i-Há Bahá'ís are encouraged to celebrate God and his oneness by showing love, fellowship and unity.[3] In many instances Bahá'ís give and accept gifts to demonstrate these attributes, and it is sometimes seen as a "Bahá'í Christmas" held two months after the Christian holiday.[3] It is also a time of charity and goodwill and Bahá'ís often participate in various projects of a humanitarian nature.[7]
References
- ^ Esslemont, J.E. (1980). Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (5th ed. ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 178–179. ISBN 0-87743-160-4. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/je/BNE/.
- ^ According to the definition of intercalary days in the Oxford Companion to the Year four of the five days are "epagomenal days" added to make the number of a calendar's days equal to the number of days in a year, and only the fifth day of Ayyám-i-Há is an intercalary day.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Taylor, John (2000-09-01). "On Novelty in Ayyám-i-Há and the Badí Calendar". bahai-library.org. http://bahai-library.com/taylor_novelty_badi_calendar. Retrieved 2006-09-24.
- ^ a b Bahá'u'lláh (1992) [1873]. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-85398-999-0. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/ka-4.html#gr16.
- ^ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (2006-03-05). "The Bahá'í Calendar". bahai.us. http://www.bahai.us/bahai-calendar. Retrieved 2006-09-24.
- ^ Universal House of Justice (1992). Notes of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 178. ISBN 0-85398-999-0. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/ka-45.html..
- ^ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (2006-06-28). "Baha'is mark New Year with charity, period of fasting". bahai.us. http://www.bahai.us/node/82. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
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