CORONAVIRUS NOTICE: all events (unless otherwise noted) are online. If you would like to participate, contact by email: chattanooga.bahai@gmail.com
Public Events, Holy Days and Services Hosted by the Bahá’ís of Chattanooga (Calendar is below)
Events are either held at the Chattanooga Bahá’í Center in Hixson, in private homes or other venues as listed; click on the Events Calendar below this information for further details, times and places. Check the actual calendar of events for time and place of feasts, devotionals, etc. The dates vary according to how the lunar calendar falls on a given year.
Since the earliest beginnings of human history, the measurement of time has been fundamental to the organization of societies.The adoption of a new calendar in each religious era is a symbol of the power of divine revelation to reshape human perception of material, social, and spiritual reality. Through it, sacred moments are distinguished, humanity’s place in time and space re-imagined, and the rhythm of life recast.
The Baha’i Faith has its own religious calendar, the Badí’ ** Calendar (established 1844 - see here for its history: https://www.bahaiblog.net/2014/07/bahai-badi-calendar-overview/) , which was standardized and adopted globally for Baha’i observances in 2015. The Badí’ Calendar is a solar calendar consisting of 19 months of 19 days each (361 days), with the addition of “Intercalary Days” (four in ordinary years and five in leap years) to adjust the calendar to the solar year. The days and months are named after the attributes of God. The Nineteen Day Feast, the primary community gathering for Baha’is in each town and city, is held on the first day of each Baha’i month.
Baha'i Holy Days: A list of Baha'i Holy Days (including days of rest where no work is undertaken) is attached. Click here for a downloadable copy of the Holy Days list.
The Baha’i New Year coincides with the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. It can fall on March 20 or 21, and the remaining Feast and Holy Days are adjusted accordingly.
**Meaning beautiful or incomparable
Intercalary Days (inter-calendar) are days of hospitality, service, socializing and gift-giving and represent intercalendar days between the time of hospitality, service and gift-giving and the beginning of the 19 day spiritual and material fast (sun-up to sun-down).
The Feast of Ridvan (Paradise) annually commemorates Baha'u'llah's announcement of His station as a Manifestation of God^, which occurred on April 21, 1853 in Baghdad, Iraq in the Ridvan Garden. During this commemoration period, the Baha'is of the world report on their local, national and international activities, as well as elect their local and national spiritual assemblies.
^The Manifestation of God is a concept in the Baháʼí Faith that refers to what are commonly called prophets. The Manifestations of God are appearances of the Divine Spirit or Holy Spirit in a series of personages, and as such, they perfectly reflect the attributes of the divine into the human world for the progress and advancement of human morals and civilization through the agency of that same Spirit.