Naw-Ruz, the Bahá’í New Year, is a holy day. We often think of it particularly as marking an end to the Fast and our return to being able to eat during daylight hours, but it is actually a holy day; a Bahá’í festival day.
Naw-Ruz coincides with the vernal equinox, which marks the first day of spring. The Vernal equinox is the day on which the day and night are of equal length.
It is a time of renewal; it marks the beginning of spring and re-birth.
This particular Naw-Ruz is special as it marks the marriage of the solar and lunar calendars, through the implementation of the decisions by the House of Justice to ensure a more unified calendar throughout the Bahá’í world.
The Badí (Bahá’í) calendar, comprised of 19 months of 19 days each, includes another feature – the Vahid. The Vahid means unity and is a grouping of 19 years. The ninth Vahid, will end when the 10th Vahid begins on Naw-Ruz 172.
So join us in celebrating the beginning of the year 172, the beginning of the 10th Vahid, and the beginning of spring, a time of hope and joy. Details of the Naw-Ruz celebration can be found here.