Baha'i Holy Days
Bahá’ís commemorate 11 holy days each year, with 9 Bahá’í Holy Days where work and school should be suspended. The dates below are for the Gregorian calendar for 2023 and 2024.
Holy days |
2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Naw-Rúz The Bahá’í New Year | 21 March | 20 March |
| First Day of Ridván (meaning “Paradise” in Arabic) — the most important of the Bahá’í holy days. It is the day on which Bahá’u’lláh declared His mission as a Messenger of God. | 21 April | 20 April |
| Ninth Day of Ridván the day on which Bahá’u’lláh’s family joined Him in the Garden of Ridván. | 29 April | 28 April |
| Twelfth Day of Ridván the day on which Bahá’u’lláh and His family left the garden to travel to Constantinople. | 2 May | 1 May |
| Declaration of the Báb the anniversary of the Báb’s announcement of His mission in 1844. | 24 May | 23 May |
| Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh marking the passing of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892 | 29 May | 28 May |
| Martyrdom of the Báb Who was executed in 1850 | 10 July | 9 July |
| Birth of the Báb | 16 Oct | 02 Nov |
| Birth of Bahá’u’lláh | 17 Oct | 03 Nov |
| Day of the Covenant** commemorating Bahá’u’lláh’s appointment of His son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as the One to whom His followers should turn after His passing. | 26 Nov | 25 Nov |
| Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá** marking the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921 | 28 Nov | 27 Nov |
Important to note: The majority of the Bahá’í Holy Days are based on the solar calendar commencing with the Spring Equinox. The exceptions to this are The Birth of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh which are set and move according to a lunar calendar. Please see the guidance from the Universal House of Justice for more information. The calendar of Holy Days for the 171 BE to 221 BE can be found here.
** Work not suspended; Bahá’ís are enjoined to suspend work on all but these holy days.
Other significant days |
2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Ayyám-i-Há (also known as the Intercalary Days) is a period of celebration devoted to charity, gift-giving, and festivities prior to the annual period of fasting | 26 Feb – 01 March | Feb 26 to Feb 29 |
|
The month of fasting, during which Bahá’ís from the age of 15 abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset. There are exemptions, including those who are ill, elderly, traveling, pregnant, or breastfeeding. |
02 – 20 March | March 1 to March 19 |