This morning we had a very nice Devotional Meeting followed with waffles, fruit, eggs, yogurt and so on. The focus of the prayers, music and readings was on joy and rejoicing, as this is the last day of the Baha'i celebration of 'Ayyam-i-Ha. The Baha'i year is composed of 19 months of 19 days, and 'Ayyam-i-Ha, "The Days of Ha", or Intercalary Days, are the 4 or 5 days falling in between the last month and the first. It is also a joyous celebration, a time for charity and gift-giving, and the precursor to the Baha'i Fast which starts on March 2 and extends for 19 days, ending on the evening of March 20.
Baha'is 15 and over, and under 70, who are healthy and not pregnant or nursing, fast from food or drink from sunrise to sunset. Primarily the purpose of the Fast is spiritual, not physical. It is a time for prayer and reflection, practicing detachment from this world and renewing our relationship with our Creator and the Founder of the Faith, Baha'u'llah. The Fast will be followed March 21, on or about the Equinox and the first day of spring, which is Naw-Ruz, Baha'i [and Iranian] New Year.
Many people focus on the physical, rather than the spiritual, importance of the Fast. The challenge is then to focus on God and spiritual qualities.
The joke often heard is: "A Yamaha--and fast!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment