138 All Feasts Have Attained Their Consummation In The Two Most Great

Categories: NOTES
Sources: The Kitab-i-aqdas

Festivals



and in the two other Festivals that fall on the twin days 110





This passage establishes four great festivals of the Baha'i year. The two

designated by Baha'u'llah as the two Most Great Festivals are, first,

the Festival of Ridvan, which commemorates Baha'u'llah's Declaration of

His Prophetic Mission in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad during twelve

days in April/May 186 and is referred to by Him as the King of

Festivals and, second, the Bab's Declaration, which occurred in May 1844

in Shiraz. The first, ninth and twelfth days of the Festival of Ridvan

are Holy Days (Q and A 1), as is the day of the Declaration of the Bab.



The two other Festivals are the anniversaries of the births of

Baha'u'llah and the Bab. In the Muslim lunar calendar these fall on

consecutive days, the birth of Baha'u'llah on the second day of the month

of Muharram 1233 A.H. (12 November 1817), and the birth of the Bab on the

first day of the same month 1235 A.H. (20 October 1819), respectively.

They are thus referred to as the Twin Birthdays and Baha'u'llah states

that these two days are accounted as one in the sight of God (Q and A 2).

He states that, should they fall within the month of fasting, the command

to fast shall not apply on those days (Q and A 36). Given that the Baha'i

calendar (see notes 26 and 147) is a solar calendar, it remains for the

Universal House of Justice to determine whether the Twin Holy Birthdays

are to be celebrated on a solar or lunar basis.