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Amy Original500© Member  ...going with the flow...
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The Festival of Ridvan pronounced "Riz-wan" and meaning "Paradise" . It's actually three Holy Days including April 21st the First Day of Ridvan, the Ninth Day of Ridvan April 29th (when Baha'u'llah officially declared His station) and the Twelfth Day of Ridvan May 2nd. All these Holy Days are days where work and school attendance is suspended. These days commemorate the Announcement of Baha'u'llah that He was Promised One, on an island of the Tigris River outside Baghdad. Baha'u'llah spent the twelve days in the Garden before being exiled to Constantinople, Istanbul. Baha'u'llah was in exile in Bagdad and was summoned by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to Constantinople, but instead of leaving Bagdad like a prisoner or under some edict of the Sultan He was leaving in triumph as this was after His announcement that He was the One promised by the Bab. This festival also marks the beginning of the Baha'i Faith. (from April 21st to May 2nd, 1863) Baha'is observe the First Day of Ridvan (April 21st) as a day to elect their governing bodies the Local Spiritual Assemblies through the world. These elections are held annually and in prayer by all the believers in a given community. The Local Spiritual Assembly looks after Baha'i affairs in the locality. http://bahai-library.com/encyclopedia/ridvan.html
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Amy Original500© Member ...going with the flow...
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Once every 5 years (during the Festival of Ridvan) the Universal House of Justice is elected at the International Baha'i Convention. But 5 years ago, the Convention was cancelled because war had just broken out in Iraq. So the election was conducted instead through absentee ballot...it's been 10 years since the last Convention. CONVENTION DELEGATES PRAY AT HOLY PLACES ACRE, Israel, 28 April 2008 (BWNS) -- Less than a kilometer outside this fortified medieval city in northern Israel is a whitewashed mansion, surrounded by elaborate gardens, known as Bahji. For Baha'is, it is the holiest place on earth. Beneath one of the buildings in the garden, the earthly remains of Baha'u'llah were laid to rest in 1892 - and today that structure is known as the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. It is understandable, then, that delegates arriving from 153 countries for the 10th International Baha'i Convention are streaming to Bahji as part of the process to prepare themselves for tomorrow's election of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Baha'i Faith. "We came out Saturday night, on the last bus, at 11 p.m." said Bahia Ettehadieh, 53, a delegate from Austria, "and it was amazing to see so many friends still here at midnight. They had come from the remotest places on earth, and many had been traveling for 24 hours or more, very tired, but they were so full of spirit and happiness," she said. The Baha'i writings offer explicit instructions about how Baha'i elections are to be conducted - and the first and foremost prerequisite is that they be held in an atmosphere of prayer and reflection. The 1,000 some delegates gathered here followed those instructions by visiting not only Bahji but many of the other Baha'i holy sites in the Acre-Haifa area in northern Israel. Dashan Fox of the Bahamas visited the House of Abbud in Acre Sunday morning. It was there, in 1873, that Baha'u'llah revealed the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "the Most Holy Book," which outlines the main principles and laws of the Baha'i Faith. "Ultimately, what Baha'is get out of the experience of going to these holy places is a centering," said Mr. Fox, a young civil engineer who like other delegates is a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in his home nation. "We all take away a little of that experience into the election process. It reminds us of the sacrifice others have gone through for the Faith," he said. Polin Rafat of Norway was deeply moved after visiting the prison cell in Acre where Baha'u'llah was incarcerated for two years after His arrival in the holy land in 1868. "Baha'u'llah suffered in that cell so that we could stand here today in this beauty and prepare to elect the House of Justice," said Ms. Rafat, referring to the beauty of the gardens at Bahji and elsewhere in the Acre-Haifa area that Baha'is have since adorned their holy places with. For some of the delegates, it was their first time in the holy land - and they were overwhelmed. "I was in seventh heaven," Agim Kotoni, 56, of Albania, said after his visit to Bahji. "I was looking so much forward to seeing something like this, and Baha'u'llah has fulfilled my wish." For Mr. Kotoni and others, an added feature of the experience was visiting the shrines and holy places in the presence of such a diversity of Baha'is from all parts of the world. "The Baha'is in my city, it is like we are a family," said Mr. Kotoni, who is a police officer in Kabaja. "But now, here, I see that we are also a single family all over the world. "Everyone you meet, it is not like I am meeting them for the first time - it's like I have known them for years," he said. "They offer so much love and respect and spirituality. I am uplifted and full of emotions." Hilda Abelinti, 41, of Suriname, was likewise struck by the sense of community she felt with other Baha'is from around the globe. "Every time I meet a new person, I believe more what Baha'u'llah says - that we are 'one people,'" she said. "Everyone may speak a different language, but we all believe the same thing - we try to do what Baha'u'llah teaches - to live in unity and respect." To view the photos and additional features click here: http://news.bahai.org
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Amy Original500© Member ...going with the flow...
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BAHA'IS CELEBRATE MOST IMPORTANT FESTIVAL AT MOST HOLY SITE ACRE, Israel, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) -- Followers of Baha'u'llah from more than 150 countries gathered yesterday at what for them is the holiest spot on earth - the tomb of Baha'u'llah - to celebrate Ridvan, their most important festival. This year's celebration at Bahji, outside Acre in northern Israel, was special because it came during the 10th International Baha'i Convention, currently under way in nearby Haifa. A thousand delegates from around the world - a true representation of the global community of five million Baha'is - joined with nearly a thousand other Baha'is for a program of prayers and readings and to circumambulate together the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. With 2,000 people in attendance, the stream of Baha'is making their way through the beautiful gardens of Bahji stretched more than half a kilometer as they walked together around the sacred tomb, where in 1892 the earthly remains of Baha'u'llah were laid to rest. The nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith, led the procession. Many of the convention delegates came in distinctive native dress, highlighting the diversity and international character of the Baha'i community. Gerda Haug, a delegate from Germany who was participating in such an event for the first time, said circumambulating the Shrine of Baha'u'llah with Baha'is from around the world was a memorable experience. "It was a symbol to me," she said, "not just something spiritual but more than that: We were all walking together in one direction, devoted to what Baha'u'llah taught, guided by the Universal House of Justice - it was a great moment." Ridvan - Arabic for "paradise" - is a 12-day festival commemorating the 12 days in 1863 that Baha'u'llah spent in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad. It was during that period that He announced publicly for the first time that He was God's Messenger for this age, the latest in a line of divine teachers that includes Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, and others. The Festival of Ridvan goes from 21 April to 2 May, and the first, ninth, and 12th days of the period are marked as specific holy days. Yesterday's commemoration was for the ninth day of Ridvan. To view the photos and additional features click here: http://news.bahai.org Slide Show
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Amy Original500© Member ...going with the flow...
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BAHA'IS ELECT UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE HAIFA, Israel, 30 April 2008 (BWNS) -- The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha'i Faith, have been announced. Delegates to the Tenth International Baha'i Convention cast ballots yesterday for membership in the council that serves as the head of the religion. Those elected are Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa. Members are elected for five-year terms. The Universal House of Justice has its permanent seat at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Membership requires residence in Haifa. Any Baha'i male age 21 and over is eligible for election. Both women and men are eligible for election or appointment to all other Baha'i institutions. In His teachings, Baha'u'llah provided for the elected institution of the Universal House of Justice, which gives a continuing source of divine authority to guide the worldwide Baha'i community and to legislate on matters not spelled out in the Baha'i sacred writings. The delegates that voted in the election are themselves members of national Baha'i governing bodies from around the world. They were chosen in earlier elections in their own countries. The Baha'i Faith, which has more than 5 million followers, is established in almost every nation. To view the photos and additional features click here: http://news.bahai.org
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