Baha’i communities worldwide celebrate their most sacred festival,
Ridvan, which takes place from the end of April to the beginning of
May each year. This event commemorates the 12 days that Baha’u’llah
spent on the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad in 1863, during
which He declared His mission as God’s Messenger for a new age and
revealed the spiritual principles that are the foundation of His
teachings.
The name “Ridván” means “paradise,” and during the 12 days, Baha’i
communities come together to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Addressing a letter written to Him, ‘Abdu’l-Baha offered this response:
O ye beloved, and ye handmaids of the Merciful! This is the day when
the Day-Star of Truth rose over the horizon of life, and its glory
spread, and its brightness shone out with such power that it clove the
dense and high-piled clouds and mounted the skies of the world in all
its splendour. Hence do ye witness a new stirring throughout all
created things. -Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha
Ridvan was commemorated within our Pittsburgh Bahá'í community. After a meeting where the new Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Pittsburgh was elected, individuals from the Pittsburgh area gathered at the Carson residence to mark the first Day of Ridvan. Community members and friends came together in the Carson's beautiful backyard garden for an imaginative tribute to this significant day in 1863, sharing stories, prayers, and songs.
Attendees received gifts of a small pouches containing dried flowers, a passage from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, and a blue cloth symbolizing the waters of the Tigris river that Bahá’u’lláh and his family crossed during their exile.
After the joyful celebration, participants enjoyed fellowship, conversations, and shared a meal together.
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