Understanding Ridván, the Holiest Festival in the Bahá’í Faith

What is Ridvan and Why 12 Days (Photo – bahaiblog)

Bahá’ís around the world are celebrating this festival, which takes place annually from April 21 to May 2. It commemorates the period in 1863 when Bahá’u’lláh, whom Bahá’ís believe to be the Messenger of God for this age, stayed in a garden in Baghdad on the eve of his forced exile to Constantinople (now Istanbul).

By Scott Phelps

Bahá’u’lláh had been banished from Tehran to Baghdad ten years earlier. However, his presence in Baghdad had attracted too large a following, and he was ordered into further exile, moving him even farther from Persia. News of his impending departure deeply saddened the community. For twelve days before leaving for Constantinople, Bahá’u’lláh remained in the garden, receiving many visitors from Baghdad. What had been expected to be a painful farewell instead became an occasion of joy and celebration, as on the first day in the garden he declared himself to be the Promised One of all religions.

As his great-grandson later wrote:

To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the ‘Everlasting Father,’ the ‘Lord of Hosts’ come down ‘with ten thousands of saints’; to Christendom Christ returned ‘in the glory of the Father’; to Shi‘ih Islam the return of the Imam Husayn; to Sunni Islam the descent of the ‘Spirit of God’; to the Zoroastrians the promised Shah-Bahram; to the Hindus the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists the fifth Buddha.”

Thus, this festival is considered the most important in the Bahá’í calendar; “Ridván” means “paradise” in Arabic. Bahá’ís hold gatherings on three of the twelve days: April 21, the First Day of Ridván, commemorates his declaration; April 29, the Ninth Day, marks the reunion of his family with him in the garden after floodwaters receded; and May 2, the Twelfth Day, marks his departure from the garden toward Constantinople.

Happy Ridván to all!