We invite you to celebrate the 9th Day of Ridvan with us on Sunday, April 28, at St. John's City Hall.
Ridvan is the holiest time of the year for Bahá’ís. During this 12-day festival, we celebrate the declaration by Bahá’u’lláh that He had brought a message of unity to all humanity from God.
That declaration was made in the Garden of Ridvan, meaning paradise, in Baghdad, where Bahá’u’lláh had been exiled from His native Persia. He made this declaration in 1863, shortly before He would be exiled again to Constantinople, in what is now Turkey.
During this annual 12-day festival, Bahá’ís celebrate on the first, ninth and 12th day of Ridvan.
The Garden of Ridvan was on an island in the middle of the Tigris River. Because of flooding, Bahá’u’lláh's family was unable to join Him there until the Ninth Day of Ridvan.
The central theme of Bahá’u’lláh's mission was unity. For Bahá’ís, unity begins in the home with the family. So we take this occasion, when Bahá’u’lláh was reunited with His loved ones, to celebrate and contemplate the importance of unity in the family.
This year, the Bahá’ís of St. John's will host a family-themed celebration of the Ninth Day of Ridvan at the Foran-Greene Room of St. John's City Hall at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.
The celebration will feature prayers, readings and music related to the family, as well as activity stations for children featuring arts and crafts. We hope to see you there.