2nd May 2026
Baha’i
The most important Baha’i festival. In these 12 days, in the garden outside Baghdad after which the festival is named, Baha’u’llah declared himself the Promised One, prophesied by the Bab. The first, ninth and twelfth days are especially significant and are holy days, when no work is done. It is during this period that Baha’is elect all their governing bodies.
28th November 2026
Bahai
Abdu’l-Baha was the eldest son of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith. Born in Persia in 1844 and named Abbas, Abdu’l-Baha was the eldest son of Baha’u’llah, and from the age of eight, He shared His Father’s exile and imprisonment. Throughout His life, He demonstrated praiseworthy qualities and was known for His loving kindness, selfless spirit of service, and generosity, especially towards those in need. Baha’u’llah referred to Him as “the Master”, “the Mystery of God” and “a shelter for all mankind”, however, Abdu’l-Baha preferred to be called “Abdu’l-Baha”, meaning “the Servant of Baha”, in reference to His servitude to Baha’u’llah and His teachings.
In Baha’u’llah’s will and testament, He instructed all to turn to Abdu’l-Baha as the authorized interpreter of the Baha’i Writings and also as the perfect exemplar of the Baha’i Faith’s spirit and teachings.
When finally released from prison, Abdu’l-Baha traveled to Egypt, Europe, and North America, to promote the Baha’i teachings, giving numerous public talks and interviews, and meeting with people from all walks of life.
When Abdu’l-Baha passed away at the age of 77 on 28 November 1921, in the Holy Land, His funeral was attended by 10,000 mourners of numerous religious backgrounds. In spontaneous tributes to an admired personality, He was eulogized as One who led humanity to the “Way of Truth,” as a “pillar of peace” and the embodiment of “glory and greatness.”
25th February – 1st March 2026
Baha’i and other faiths
Ayyam-i-Ha are intercalary days in the Baha’i calendar, celebrated as a period of joy, generosity, and service before the annual fast. They are observed during the four or five days that fall between the last two months of their calendar.
2nd to 20th March 2026
Baha’i
The Baha’i Fast falls during the month of Ala-the last month of the Baha’i calendar. During these 19 days, Baha’is abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset. While this abstention from food and drink is a test of one’s will and discipline, the Fast is not just about abstaining from food. The Fast is, primarily, a spiritual practice.
29th April 2026
Baha’i
The most important Baha’i festival. In these 12 days, in the garden outside Baghdad after which the festival is named, Baha’u’llah declared himself the Promised One, prophesied by the Bab. The first, ninth and twelfth days are especially significant and are holy days, when no work is done. It is during this period that Baha’is elect all their governing bodies.
18th January 2026
Baha’i and other faiths
This day promotes interfaith understanding by emphasizing factors common to all faiths. It was first introduced among Baha’i communities in the 1950s, and is now celebrated by a wider spread of communities, including the Baha’i, on the third Sunday of January.
26th November 2026
Bahai
Every year in late November Baha’is around the world honor unity on the Day of the Covenant. This special Baha’i Holy Day recognizes and celebrates the appointment of Abdu’l-Baha as the Center of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, that unbroken, unified line of guidance which safeguards the Baha’i Faith from division and disunity.
So Baha’is celebrate the unity of their Faith-and the essential unity of all Faiths-on the Day of the Covenant. They also recognize, on this special day, the wider covenant that exists between God and humanity, which expresses itself in the singular purpose, common principles, and prophetic connections that link every Faith. This eternal covenant between God and humanity calls on each human being to recognize and accept all of the founders of the world’s great Faiths, acknowledging the system of divine education Baha’is call progressive revelation.
The Baha’i teachings say that God reveals religious and mystical truth through a systematic succession of prophets and messengers throughout history. Baha’is see those great teachers, the founders of the world’s major Faiths, as bringing different stages in one continuous spiritual educational system for all humanity.
Those messengers of God, history tells us, each made a promise to their followers that they would return to lead humanity to God again. This greater eternal Covenant, which calls on every person of faith to recognize and accept the next prophet of God, forms the basis of the successive system of divine education called progressive revelation.
Baha’is see the unity of religion as an organic, unbroken chain of God’s messengers, who all taught the same essential Faith. This great Covenant – God’s promise never to leave His creation bereft of guidance – has held true throughout every time and civilization.
21st March 2026
Baha’i
Naw-Ruz is the Baha’i New Year’s Day and coincides with the spring equinox. It is an ancient Persian festival celebrating the ‘New Day’ and it marks the end of the annual nineteen day fast that concludes the old year. Celebrations start at sunset on the day before the festival, often with gatherings for prayer, followed by a festive meal. For this the table is decorated with fruit, cakes, coloured eggs and other treats, as well as symbolic objects such as a holy book and a mirror.
Among the best known customs of Naw-Ruz is the haft-sin — the `seven S’s’. These are seven objects beginning – in Persian – with the letter `S’, namely hyacinths, apples, lilies, silver coins, garlic, vinegar and rue, all decoratively arranged on a table. A great deal of time is spent exchanging visits with friends and relations. The celebrations end on the thirteenth day of Naw-Ruz with a picnic in the country. Lentils that have sprouted are thrown into running water, carrying away the bad luck of the previous year.
Naw-Ruz is observed wherever Iranian culture has penetrated, notably among the Zoroastrians of India and in the emigré Iranian communities around the world. It is one of only two festivals mentioned by Zoroaster in the Avesta, the holy Zoroastrian scriptures written by Zoroaster himself. It is celebrated as a holy day by these two religions: Zoroastrianism and the Baha’i Faith.
This is one of the nine Baha’i holy days on which work should be suspended, and is generally observed with a gathering for prayer and celebration – often combined with a dinner, since the sunset on which Naw-Ruz begins ends the last day of the Baha’i fast. As with all Baha’i holy days, there are few fixed rules for observing Naw-Ruz, although Iranian Baha’is often follow Iranian traditions. Many Baha’is use Naw-Ruz as a day when gifts are given.
At its most basic, Naw-Ruz is a celebration of renewal and the coming of spring, as is common for festivals at this time of year. Some believe that their actions on Naw-Ruz will affect their lives throughout the rest of the coming year. Baha’is see it (and the fast that precedes it) as a time of renewal, meant to focus believers on their spiritual development. It is also a time for physical ‘spring cleaning’, clearing the home of old and unneeded items to make room for items that are new.
21st April – 2nd May 2025
Baha’i
The most important Baha’i festival. It was in these 12 days that Baha’u’llah declared himself as the Promised One prophesied by the Bab. The festival is named after the garden outside Baghdad in which he was staying. The first, ninth and twelfth days are especially significant and are celebrated as holy days, when no work is done. (This is also true of other Baha’i festival dates.) It is during this period that Baha’is elect their local, national and international governing bodies.
29th May 2026
Baha’i
This day commemorates the death of Baha’u’llah at Bahji, near Acre, in northern Israel in 1892. His shrine there is the holiest place on earth for Baha’is and is the focus towards which all Baha’is face when praying.