There are eleven Holy Days which Bahá'ís celebrate. On all but two of these days, all work should be suspended. They are listed in chronological order according to the Bahá'í calendar.
Naw Rúz -- March 21
The Bahá'í New Year.
The Bahá'í year begins on the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and consists of 19 months of 19 days. The remaining days (known as "Ayyám-i-Há") are placed between the 18th and 19th months and are a time of celebration.
Ridván (Arabic for "paradise")
The Ridván (pronouced "riz-wan") festival commemorates the first public declaration by Bahá'u'lláh of His Station and mission (in 1863). This took place over a 12-day period in a garden in Baghdad, Iráq, where Bahá'u'lláh and His family stayed while preparing to leave Baghdad for Constantinople (Istanbul) in Turkey.
Declaration of the Báb -- May 23
Commemorates the date in 1844 when the Báb first declared His mission. Strictly speaking,
this took place 2 hours and 11 minutes after sunset on May 22.
Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh -- May 29
Commemorates the date in 1892 when Bahá'u'lláh ascended to heaven (i.e., passed away)
Martyrdom of the Báb -- July 9
Commemorates the date in 1850 when the Báb was executed by a 750-man firing squad in
Tabríz, Iran
Birth of the Báb -- Oct. 20
Commemorates the date in 1819 when the Báb was born in Shíráz, Iran
Birth of Bahá'u'lláh -- Nov. 12
Commemorates the date in 1817 when Bahá'u'lláh was born in Tihran, Iran
Day of the Covenant -- Nov. 26
This day is celebrated in lieu of the Birth of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which falls on the same day
as the Declaration of the Báb.
Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá -- Nov. 28
Commemorates the day in 1921 when 'Abdu'l-Bahá ascended to heaven (i.e., passed away)
Revised July 05, 2002
Written by (Roger Reini)