Since its second year, they have invited friends from all over the world to contribute, and every day a different pair of photographers shares their images. The 36 photographers slated for this year’s fasting season hail from the U.S. and Canada and from as far away as Hungary, Mozambique, Kyrgyzstan and Guam. In addition, not all of the fasting photographers are Baha’is.

They will be waking up before dawn to have breakfast, pray and prepare for the day. Then they will be sitting down at sunset to break the fast, pray and reflect on the day. Inspirational passages from the Baha’i Sacred Writings are included in the daily postings, along with each photographer’s personal thoughts.

“One of the incredible things about the project is how unified each day’s photographs can be: it is not unusual to find exact matches in horizons, or harmonies in color schemes, in photos that come from across the world,” said Amy and Leila.

You can see this on these sets of photos taken during last year’s nineteen days project in: Windhoek, Namibia and Boston, Massachusetts on March 3, 2010, Los Angeles, California and Luanda, Angola on March 11, 2010 and Brooklyn, New York and Boulder, Colorado on March 21, 2010.

The “nineteen days” project is being dedicated this year to the Baha’is in Iran.

On March 14, a group of Baha’is gathered at the Beaverton Baha’i Center, for a special community dinner to celebrate the fact that they were past the mid-point of the Baha’i 19-Day Fast. The Fast, which takes place from March 2 through March 20, consists of completely abstaining from food and drink (including water) from sunrise to sunset. The goal of the Fast is for participants to spiritually refresh and reinvigorate their spiritual lives. In doing so, they recommit themselves to doing their part to unite humanity and create a new world based on peace and justice, as was taught by Bahá’u'lláh, Founder of the Baha’i Faith.

During a delicious potluck dinner, we asked several of the guests, whose ages ranged from teens to fifties, to share with us how they were feeling about the Fast. According to Luz V., a former Catholic, “the Fast strengthens my soul.” She said that when she gets hungry and thirsty, she thinks of the homeless who experience hunger and the prophets who fasted for 40 days. What has really helped her is reading a lot of the Baha’i writings, which have strengthened her and enlightened her spiritually. Oscar E. agreed, saying that the fasting time allows him to “meditate more easily.”

Daniela A. enthusiastically described the Fast as the “season of detachment helping us to let go of the old year as we usher in Naw Ruz, the Baha’i New Year, that coincides with the coming of spring.” She explained that “this fasting season is a time of detachment from all yearnings of the material world as we also prepare for Ridván, the 12-day Festival in April commemorating the declaration of Baha’u’llah as the new Manifestation of God for this age. This discipline helps us to cleanse the body. Through prayer and meditation we learn to clear our minds, which in turn can bring about great healing as we strengthen ourselves both physically and spiritually.”

For Selena A., who is away at her first year of college, the Fast poses a lot of challenges, since there are fewer Baha’is around. “Observing the Fast,” she said, “is a sacrifice for what I believe in and brings me closer to other Baha’is.” She added, “The Fast makes you grateful and appreciate being able to have food available.”

Esme A., who is almost finished with high school, declared that the “Fast is a matter of mind over matter and no one can affect the outcome except oneself.” She keeps in mind that “other people do without enough food every single day.”

Shelly E. affirmed that she fasts out of a spirit of obedience to the bidding of Baha’u’llah, who initiated the Fast as part of establishing the Baha’i Faith. “The Fast advances my capacity for obedience.” She also stated, “Since Baha’is fast around the world, the Fast is a unifying force, a building block of the New World Order. For there will be no New World Order without obeying God’s Word.” And as a mother, Shelly wants to set a good example for her children, so that they will grow up really wanting to participate in the emerging Divine Institutions.

Listening to these dedicated Baha’is was heartening as they reflected a commitment infused with the spirit of those dedicated to the teachings of Baha’u’llah.

“O God! As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and preserve my soul from self-passions… Thus may the spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from everything else save Thy mention.”
—Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 3, p. 305.

During the fast, Baha’is age 15 and older typically rise before dawn to eat breakfast and pray. At sunset they break the fast, often gathering with Baha’i friends to enjoy a meal together. The following are exempt from fasting, as it could be harmful to their health: those younger than 15 and older than 70, the ill or infirm, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating, travelers and those engaged in heavy physical labor.

The 19-Day Fast is “essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character.” (Baha’i Reference Library)

Baha’is celebrate the start of a new year with the arrival of spring

After sundown on March 20 – the eve of the vernal equinox – Baha’is throughout the world will celebrate Naw-Ruz, the start of the Baha’i New Year. For Baha’is this is a religious holiday that marks the end of the Nineteen Day Fast. It is one of the nine Baha’i holy days on which work and school is to be suspended.

The Baha’i Faith originated in Persia (present-day Iran), and the Baha’i calendar adopted the Persian new year holiday, Naw-Ruz, which has been celebrated for thousands of years at the vernal equinox.

Baha’is observe Naw-Ruz through prayer, meditation, readings from Baha’i scripture and festive gatherings.

A unique calendar: 19 months of 19 days each

The Baha’i calendar dates back to the ministry of the Bab (1844-1853), who heralded the imminent appearance of Baha’u'llah (1817-1892), the founder of the Baha’i Faith.

Also known as the Badi Calendar, the Baha’i calendar is divided into 19 months of 19 days each. The Baha’i year begins on March 21, the first day of spring. Days begin and end at sunset, and the week begins on Saturday.

On the first day of every Baha’i month, Baha’i communities gather for Feast, which includes prayer, fellowship, and discussion of the spiritual and social affairs of the Baha’i community.

Baha’i months and days of the week are named after attributes of God. The following is a list of the 19 months in the Baha’i year: Splendour, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion and Loftiness.

__________________
Reprinted with permission from the Baha’is of the United States
(see U.S. Baha’i News)

Baha'u'llah describes prayer as a "fountain of living waters whereby I may live as long as Thy sovereignty endureth…"

In March, the Baha’is fast from sunrise to sunset for 19 days. Every year during this time I gain some insight that helps guide me during the following year. This year it came on the first day.

For some reason, my daughter seems to get sick in March. This year she came down with a bug on the first day of the Fast. I’ve found that I can do without food during the day or without sleep at night, but my system just can’t handle both. So there I was, tending to my sick child in the middle of the night and feeling overwhelmed with frustration. I was really looking forward to the Fast—to the challenge of it and the insights that come as a result. Inside, I wailed “Why me?” I try to live up to these standards and every year I seem to get derailed.

Suddenly I realized that maybe my sacrifice is not food this year, but the Fast itself—to give up not eating to tend to someone who needs it. A great calm settled over me. I began to realize (again!) that the Fast is not about food. It’s not about not eating. That’s just the symbol. The Fast is about cleansing the spirit, becoming more spiritual.

Not for the first time I began wondering, “Just what does that mean, exactly—being spiritual?” The Baha’i Faith has so many wonderful images for spiritual concepts: the soul is described as a lamp, a mirror, a streambed. The bounty and love of God is a light, the sun, a river, the ocean, the rain.

Lately I’ve been drawn to the water images. I have lots of experience being grimly determined about scrubbing my “mirror” clean. But this Fast is teaching me that spiritual growth is so much more than that. There’s a prayer written by an early Baha’i that describes becoming a hollow reed. Baha’u'llah (the Founder of the Baha’i Faith) describes prayer as a “fountain of living waters whereby I may live as long as Thy sovereignty endureth…” Love flowing like water, cleansing and purifying all in its path—this is what I needed to hear at this moment. ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Baha’u'llah’s Son) talks about cleaning the streambed so the water can flow.

The Fast is a time of sacrifice — giving up food to focus on one’s spiritual development. I always thought of sacrifice as letting go of the things I want. But I’m discovering that it is also letting go of the things I don’t want. One morning we had a familiar scene in our house of chores that had been forgotten. I found that old frustration rising up again. But this time I was focused on being the hollow reed and instead, I let it go. To my surprise, that flow of love just washed it away. Really? Is it that simple?

Later I found myself on the receiving end of negativity from other people. Still focused on being that clear channel, I discovered that the negativity just bounced off me. It didn’t disturb my inner peace and flow. Wow! This is amazing.

Every day of the Fast I’ve been eager to wake up, wanting to see what I’ll discover next, looking forward to practicing what I’ve learned. The Fast is like school for me. I learn things during this time that I then strive to master over the course of the coming year.

What I’m learning this year is the Fast is less about food and more about joy. What could be more spiritual than allowing that love to flow through me—to see it cheer the hearts of those around me, and to watch it heal my own heart as it flows through? What could be more joyful?

Baha'is observe the Fast between sunrise and sunset on March 2 - 20.

From March 2-20, Baha’is worldwide observe the annual 19-day Fast by refraining from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset. As in many world religions, the Fast is a time for reflecting on one’s spiritual progress and making an effort to detach from material desires.

This year, their thoughts and prayers focus on Iran, where seven leaders of the faith remain in prison under unfounded charges of espionage and insulting Islam. (More information is available at: http://iran.bahai.us.)

Baha’is around the United States have held hundreds of vigils and prayer gatherings in support of the imprisoned Baha’is. The period of fasting will intensify their focus and prayers for the safety of the imprisoned Baha’is and the eventual emancipation of the Faith from religious persecution in the land of its birth.

During the fast, Baha’is age 15 and older typically rise before dawn to eat breakfast and pray. At sunset they break the fast, often gathering with Baha’i friends to enjoy a meal together. The following are exempt from fasting, as it could be harmful to their health: those younger than 15 and older than 70, the ill or infirm, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating, travelers and those engaged in heavy physical labor.

Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith, wrote that the Fast is “essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character.”

Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw Ruz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. ” — Baha’u'llah

Baha’is celebrate the start of a new year with the arrival of spring

After sundown on March 20 – the eve of the vernal equinox – Baha’is throughout the world will celebrate Naw-Ruz, the start of the Baha’i New Year. For Baha’is this is a religious holiday that marks the end of the Nineteen Day Fast. It is one of the nine Baha’i holy days on which work and school is to be suspended.

The Baha’i Faith originated in Persia (present-day Iran), and the Baha’i calendar adopted the Persian new year holiday, Naw-Ruz, which has been celebrated for thousands of years at the vernal equinox.

Baha’is observe Naw-Ruz through prayer, meditation, readings from Baha’i scripture and festive gatherings.

A unique calendar: 19 months of 19 days each

The Baha’i calendar dates back to the ministry of the Bab (1844-1853), who heralded the imminent appearance of Baha’u'llah (1817-1892), the founder of the Baha’i Faith.

Also known as the Badi Calendar, the Baha’i calendar is divided into 19 months of 19 days each. The Baha’i year begins on March 21, the first day of spring. Days begin and end at sunset, and the week begins on Saturday.

On the first day of every Baha’i month, Baha’i communities gather for Feast, which includes prayer, fellowship, and discussion of the spiritual and social affairs of the Baha’i community.

Baha’i months and days of the week are named after attributes of God. The following is a list of the 19 months in the Baha’i year: Splendour, Glory, Beauty, Grandeur, Light, Mercy, Words, Perfection, Names, Might, Will, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Questions, Honour, Sovereignty, Dominion and Loftiness.