On Wednesday, March 19 at exactly 7:03 p.m. (sunset), the Bahá’ís of Glendale, along with Bahá’ís worldwide, celebrated the end of their fast and the beginning of the New Year. Bahá’ís, who believe in the unity of mankind and that all the major religions are one divine plan from one God, abstain completely from food and beverages from sunup to sunset from March 1 to March 19.

Fasting has been fundamental aspect of many religions as a symbolic form of sacrificing material needs for a spiritual reason. For example, Catholics have an aspect of fasting during Lent; Muslims fast during Ramadan and Hindus fast on certain days of the month such as purnima (full moon) and ekadasi (the 11th day of the fortnight). Many indigenous tribes in North America practice fasting as part of their spiritual and cultural traditions and believe fasting can be used for purification, prayer and connecting with the Creator. Baha’is believe the same tradition in that fasting brings a person closer to God.

This period of fasting is devoted to prayer and meditation. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, son of the founder of the Bahá’í faith, explained: “For this material, fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.”

The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is the astronomical event that marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. This is the time period that ends the Bahá’í fast and is celebrated with a festival called Naw-Ruz or New Years.

The founder of the Bahá’í faith was born in Iran; however, that doesn’t make the Bahá’í faith an offshoot of Islam. It, in fact, is an independent religion just as Jesus Christ was born in the Jewish religion and through His revelation began Christianity. 

There are over 5 million Bahá’ís all over the world and in every country on earth. 

But what do Baha’is believe? Bahá’ís believes in independent investigation in that every soul must seek truth and should decide independently their path to God. And that all the teachings of the manifestations of God (among them Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad) represent one religion from one God. Baha’is call this divine plan “progressive revelation.” Each religion appearing in the different parts of the world guides humanity toward an ever-advancing civilization. Central to Bahá’í teachings is the inevitability of world peace.

Submitted by Elaine Klemzak on behalf of the Bahá’í of Glendale