Baháʼí calendar

The Bahá'í calendar, also called the Badí‘ calendar, common to the Bahá'í Faith, is a solar calendar with regular years of 365 days, and leap years of 366 days. 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). Years in the calendar begin at the vernal equinox (usually March 21), and are counted with the date notation of BE (Bahá'í Era), with 21 March, AD 1844 being the first day of the first year.[1]

The period from 21 March, 2006 to 20 March, 2007 is year 163 BE.

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 [2]. 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.

Months

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). There are 4 Intercalary Days in a regular year, and 5 in a leap year.

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)

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

Weekdays

Days begin at sunset on the previous solar day and end at sunset of the present solar day.

The Bahá'í week starts on Saturday, and ends on Friday. Like Islám, Friday is also the day of rest in the Bahá'í Faith (Lights of Guidance, # 372, p. 109).

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 on 21 March1996, and the 10th Váḥid will begin in 2015. The 2nd Kull-i-Shay’ will begin in 2205.[3] Year 163 BE is year Bahháj, of the 9th Váḥid, of the 1st Kull-i-Shay’.

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.

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

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

• Effendi, Shoghi (1976). Principles of Bahá'í Administration (4th ed. ed.). London, UK: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0900125136. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)

• Esslemont, J.E. (1980). Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era (5th ed. ed.). Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0877431604. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)

External links

• The Bahá'í Calendar