From the 2nd until the 20th of March inclusive, Baha'i fast from sunrise until sunset, not eating or drinking during daylight hours. While this might sound really unnecessarily taxing, I find it a time of great energy. It is an amazing way of cleansing the body, giving yourself a chance to clear away all those toxins that have accumulated during the year. It is also a way of showing self-will, that you are not a slave to cravings or munchy attacks but can pace and control yourself in this gentle way. I find that the hardest thing for me is the late afternoons when I start to get a bit tired but all in all I find it a great experience. And interestingly, it is not the 'food' aspect that is most important. It is a time of spiritual reflection and recuperation, to take stock and refresh yourself. So whether you fast or not (there are lots of instances when you are excempt from fasting...nursing, heavy labour, travelling, on your period, under 15 yrs old, etc) it is still a time to reflect on the year past spiritually and what you hope for in the new year. You can find more information on the Baha'i Fast here.
And at the end of the fast, my favourite holiday...Naw-Ruz! The Baha'i new year. Man, I love it. It is also the Persian new year and the Spring Equinox. The Baha'is throw big parties, give gifts (Amu Naw-Ruz was the 'Santa' equivilent in Persian culture...Amu means uncle in Persian. He even looked like Santa, with a red and white suit and a long beard. We used to joke in my house that he and Santa were obviously brothers, one for the West, one for the East!) and generally have a roaring good time.
One of my favourite traditions for Naw-Ruz, which is more part of the Persian tradition of celebrating Naw-Ruz (the Baha'i communities celebrate it anyway they see fit according to their culture), but it is the Haft Sin. It is a table set with seven items all beginning with the letter 'S' in Persian and representing life, rebirth, Spring, etc. Goldfish are a really common item but for some reason my family always killed our goldfish, they never survived longer than a week. No clue why, very sad...poor Goldie, Silver and Goldie II.
Unfortunately it has been years since I was home for Naw-Ruz, and this year again I will be somewhere different with no other Baha'is about probably. Bummer. But still, it is such a fun time of year. I time to be happy. A time to meditate and reconnect with your spiritual life if, like me, you have been drifting away recently. It is a time for family and friends. And I was thinking, I am 21 now. Maybe it is time that I start making my own Naw-Ruz traditions, making this time of year special for myself even if my family or friends who celebrate it aren't around. I think it is time for me to own Naw-Ruz for myself and one day share that with my own family.
I think this year is going to be really important for me. I have only really become a Baha'i in my own right recently. I was raised a Baha'i but for a long time was just kind of drifting, exploring other things, being an inquistive young person as young people should be. It was especially interesting, and hard in a way, being in a relationship with someone who didn't really practice or identify himself with anything. I always respected my upbringing but was worried that I was just believing what my parents told me and not thinking independently. It is so hard sometimes to know what is actually yours and what has been handed down to you. Recently though I have been reconnecting with my faith, seeing it for myself, by myself and realising how much I love it. It is open and flexible, allows me to embrace and explore other religions and philosophies, and I believe it has really helped shape the person I am. Sometimes I got frustrated or lose focus, but it is always there for me, and that seems like something worth hanging round for.
4 comments:
i think it's great you have reconnected with your Baha'i faith the way you have. i was raised catholic but did the same thing you did (sought out other alternatives and beliefs) and i admire everyone that questions what they are told or brought up to be. i think it shows great strength.
hey i found this for you. you may already know about it but it's your local baha'i community calendar. maybe they will do some sort of celebration.
http://www.bostonbahai.org/communities/Boston/index.php?id=28,0,0,1,0,0
What an interesting post! I had really no idea about anything relating to Baha'i and I loved reading what you said. Much more understandable than a text book definition. I say good on you! for sorting out what you believe; it is so important to separate how we're raised with who we've become.
Glad all is well there. Can you believe May is right around the corner, Ms. Soon to be Graduate?!
I always love reading your posts about Baha'i. There seem to be so many aspects to it that I am in accordance with.
I think your idea of starting your own Naw-Ruz traditions is a good one. It's taken me a long time to stop just doing what my family did growing up and starting my own traditions. It can be hard, but very fulfilling. We're working on those things ourselves right now. Our lives have become quite a mix of celebrations. We like to pick what is meaningful to us and celebrate in the way we feel is best for us.
It's a tough road, finding your own spirituality. Sounds like your are in tune with yourself there - that's good! I'm still working on many, many things. Maybe one day I'll get it worked out.
With your permission I would like to excerpt from this post on Baha'i Views and link.
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