Two Baha'i Holy Days in November:

[Arthra]

There will be two Baha'i Holy Days later this month.

The first Holy Day is called "The Day of the Covenant" and will be observed from the evening of Friday November 24th to sunset the next day the 25th. The Day of the Covenant for Baha'is focuses on the importance of the Covenant in the Faith... there are at least two Covenants found

first in the Kitab-i-Ahd The Baha’i Covenant | The Covenant of Baha’u'llah » The Kitab-i-Ahd
the Will and Testament of Baha'u'llah

and the second one is the Will and Testament of Abdul-Baha:
http://covenantstudy.org/the-will-and-testament-of-abdul-baha/index.html

In our community we'll have a deepening on the Covenant.

The second Holy Day concerns the "Ascension of Abdul-Baha" and is a Memorial for the life of Abdul-Baha. "Ascension" refers to His spirit ascending meaning His passing from this world.
It is normally observed on November 27th Monday at 1:00 AM. Usually prayers and some references from the life of Abdul-Baha are referred to.

 

[Cearbhall]

Very interesting! Thank you for posting!

 

[Chesterton]

There will be thirty Christian holy days this month.

 

[cloudyday2]

There will be thirty Christian holy days this month.

Is Leap Day a Holy Day too or do you get that day off?

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Is Leap Day a Holy Day too or do you get that day off?

Actually, Leap Day is February 24 in a leap year. Leap days were added after the festival of Terminalia on 23 February, when in times past a leap month had been added.
Since numbering the days of the month only really took off after the 1600s. As it was six days before the Kalends of March, it was treated as the "second sixth" after 23 February which was the normal 'six days before Kalends', which is why it is called the bissextile day or 'twice sixth'.

So legally speaking, as the Gregorian calender was written in Latin, the 24th is Leap Day and merely doubles the 23rd. I am sure there are many saints that fall on it. I assume nowadays they go according to numbers, but strictly speaking the saints' days would be off one for the last couple of days of February.

 

[cloudyday2]

Actually, Leap Day is February 24 in a leap year. Leap days were added after the festival of Terminalia on 23 February, when in times past a leap month had been added.
Since numbering the days of the month only really took off after the 1600s. As it was six days before the Kalends of March, it was treated as the "second sixth" after 23 February which was the normal 'six days before Kalends', which is why it is called the bissextile day or 'twice sixth'.

So legally speaking, as the Gregorian calender was written in Latin, the 24th is Leap Day and merely doubles the 23rd. I am sure there are many saints that fall on it. I assume nowadays they go according to numbers, but strictly speaking the saints' days would be off one for the last couple of days of February.

That's weird about making Leap Day the 24th. I don't quite get that.

I wonder if the liturgical calendars have a Feb 29th with some feasts? They might put the saints that they aren't quite sure about on that day LOL.

 

[Chesterton]

Is Leap Day a Holy Day too or do you get that day off?

That's a good question. Y'know, my grandmother was born on Leap Day. She died of old age when she'd only had 20 birthdays.

 

[cloudyday2]

That's a good question. Y'know, my grandmother was born on Leap Day. She died of old age when she'd only had 20 birthdays.

Yeah, one of my best friends in college was born on leap day. I kept apologizing every year when I forgot his birthday again. I didn't realize that it was leap day until he finally told me years later.

 

[Arthra]

Actually we Baha'is have our own calendar called the "Badi Calendar" and we have what's called "Ayyam-i-Ha". While it's not a Holy Day we celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha by having parties and gift exchanges. In the Baha'i year we have nineteen months of nineteen days in each month for 361 days. We observe Ayyam-i-Ha four days in a regular 365 day year and five days in a "Leap" year. You can learn more at
The Baha'i Calendar - (Badi Calendar) - More Information

 

[cloudyday2]

Actually we Baha'is have our own calendar called the "Badi Calendar" and we have what's called "Ayyam-i-Ha". While it's not a Holy Day we celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha by having parties and gift exchanges. In the Baha'i year we have nineteen months of nineteen days in each month for 361 days. We observe Ayyam-i-Ha four days in a regular 365 day year and five days in a "Leap" year. You can learn more at
The Baha'i Calendar - (Badi Calendar) - More Information

What was the motivation for 19 day months?

 

[Arthra]

What was the motivation for 19 day months?

If you multiply 19 X 19 it comes out closer to the length of our year.. 361. Nineteen is the value of the word "Vahid" in the Abjad reckoning. 'Vahid" means "Unity" or 'Single" and each month is named after an attribute of God. According to an online source:

"Vahid" means "single" when translated into English. This word is used when applied to something being singular rather than a relationship standpoint. It comes from Azeri (the Azerbaijani language) and the Farsi, since these languages lack the "w" in the original Arabic "wahid" meaning "single".

Any way... in our history there were nineteen "Letters of the Living" that were the first followers of the Bab and nineteen "Apostles of Baha'u'llah" and so on. The numerical value of Hebrew letters also plays out as you probably know in Hebrew scriptures and in what is called Gematria in Greek Letters. So this is somewhat akin.

 

[Arthra]

We had the first Holiday November 24th Friday evening and there will be an observance of a memorial for Abdul-Baha the eldest Son of Baha'u'llah on November 28th 1921 in Haifa and there is usually an observance held at 1:00 AM this year it will be on Monday November 27th. Usually we recite prayers and have readings about the last days of the Exemplar:

"Never forget this; look at one another with the eye of perfection; look at me, follow me, be as I am; take no thought for yourselves or your lives, whether ye eat or whether ye sleep, whether ye are comfortable, whether ye are well or ill, whether ye are with friends or foes, whether ye receive praise or blame; for all these things ye must care not at all. Look at me and be as I am; ye must die to yourselves and to the world, so ye shall be born again and enter the kingdom of heaven."

~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, p. 503