Happy Naw-Ruz 2012

The Báb introduced a new calendar, known now as the Badi'

or Bahá'í calendar. According to this

calendar, a day is the period from sunset to sunset.

In the Bayan, the Báb ordained the month of Ala' to be the month

of fasting, decreed that the day of Naw-Ruz should mark

the termination of that period, and designated Naw-Ruz as

the Day of God. Bahá'u'lláh confirms the Badi' calendar

wherein Naw-Ruz is designated as a feast.

Naw-Ruz is the first day of the new year. It coincides

with the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, which

usually occurs on 21 March. Bahá'u'lláh explains that this

feast day is to be celebrated on whatever day the sun passes

into the constellation of Aries (i.e. the vernal equinox), even

should this occur one minute before sunset.

Hence Naw-Ruz could fall on 20, 21, or 22 March,

depending on the time of the equinox.

Bahá'u'lláh has left the details of many laws to be filled

in by the Universal House of Justice. Among these are a

number of matters affecting the Bahá'í calendar. The

Guardian has stated that the implementation, worldwide,

of the law concerning the timing of Naw-Ruz will require

the choice of a particular spot on earth which will serve as

the standard for the fixing of the time of the spring equinox.

He also indicated that the choice of this spot has been left to

the decision of the Universal House of Justice.

 

(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 177)

 

 

Done