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June
8,
2018
CELEBRATING
THE DECLARATION OF THE BÁB
By Susan Ward
 On
the evening of May 23rd,
Bahá’ís around the world celebrated the Declaration of the Báb, the
prophet-founder who ushered in a new era for humanity. Bahá’ís observe
this holy day by gathering at homes and venues to commemorate this
momentous event.
In my own neighbourhood in Ottawa's West End, the Bahá’í community held
a pleasant celebration. We met at 9 pm at the home of our hosts Tony
and Jane to mingle with kindness and share sweets and tea. The program
for the evening was then launched with gentle piano music. The evening
included a beautiful program that told the story about the night the
Báb declared His mission to his first disciple, Mullá Husayn, on May
23, 1844, which included prayers and passages from the Báb’s
writings. We paused twice during the readings to sing and
chant verses led by a mother and daughter duo. At 10:11 pm,
around the time that the Báb declared His mission to His guest, a
special prayer known as the Tablet of Visitation was recited. We then
ended our celebration in love and fellowship.
 The story of the Báb is a
fascinating one. Mullá Husayn belonged to a religious school called the
Shaykhís that believed the bearer of a new divine revelation would
shortly makes his appearance in the world and would prove His claim
both by fulfilling certain physical characteristics and through His
writings. To that end, Mullá Husayn and other Shaykhís were sent on a
quest across Persia to find this new prophet.
During his travels, Mullá Husayn was drawn like a magnet to the city of
Shiraz, Iran, and there he met a young man wearing a green turban Read more...
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June
2,
2018
Public
Screening of Light to the World
 A public screening of Light to
the World, a 51-minute documentary film on the life and teachings of
the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh – which was produced to
commemorate the bicentenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth in 2017 – took place
free of charge at the CineStarz in Orleans on May 11, 2018 from 7 to 9
pm.
The film was attended by about
75 people, including 20 youth and young adults. The screening was
followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session where a variety of
topics were broached ranging from the history of the life of
Bahá'u'lláh to the core activities (children's classes, junior youth
empowerment, study circles, and devotional meetings), as well as on
various Bahá'í principles and teachings such as consultation.
 In the months leading up to the
public screening on May 11th, many efforts were undertaken to publicize
the event, which included distributing about 500 invitation cards to
the screening in the Baha’i community by email, at feasts, at holy day
events, through a Facebook group, as well as personal word-of-mouth
invitations to colleagues, friends and family. The organizers – Samin
Moradipour, Basim Moradipour and Elia Touesnard – worked very hard over
a period of about four months to make the screening a reality and a
success. More...
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May 3,
2018
Baha'is
Mark the Ridvan Festival
 Baha'is across the City of
Ottawa marked the Festival of Ridván during the period April 21 to May
2 this year. The Ridván Festival has particular significance for the
Baha'i community as it is the time when Bahá’u’lláh, prophet-founder of
the Faith, publicly declared His Mission to a few of his followers in
the Garden of Najíbiyyih, on the banks of the Tigris river in
Baghdad. Baha'u'llah later named it the Garden of Ridván,
meaning “Paradise”.
Across the ages, the coming of each Messenger of God leads to renewal
and revitalization of society and civilizations. So it is that Baha'is
believe that the declaration of Baha'u'llah as a Messenger of God
released forces that are bringing about the spiritual transformation of
humanity and the world that continues to this day and for a thousand
years to come.
In one of His Tablets launching the Festival of Ridván, Bahá’u’lláh
refers to the appellation "the Blissful" – a word that means the
highest level of joy, of rapture and of perfect happiness. This title
also characterizes the bliss with which the Ottawa Baha'i community
celebrated the Ridván Festival with a diversity of celebrations across
Canada's capital.
The 1st, 9th and 12th Days of the Ridván Festival period are marked as
special days in which Baha'is suspend work and school - a time of
celebration, reflection and service. Special commemorations were held
in more than 10 locations across the city on the 1st Day of Ridvan -
April 21. Read
more...
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March
28, 2018
Naw-Ruz
celebrations held across Ottawa
 March 21st ushered in the first
day of spring, a time when Canadians begin to look forward to warmer
weather. The date is significant in many countries, with different
ethnic and cultural groups around the world celebrating their new year
at the same time as the spring equinox. In addition, for the world-wide
Baha'i community, March 21st this year also marked the beginning of a
new year - the 175th year of the Badi calendar. For Baha'is,
the new year coincides with the completion of a 19-day period of
fasting. This is a period in which Baha'is strive for spiritual renewal
- a time for reflection, contemplation, mindfulness, prayer and a quest
to improve our character. Just as the spring equinox heralds a time of
renewal as the snow melts, and the landscape slowly but surely awakens
from its winter hibernation, so also, the Baha'i new year represents a
time of renewal of the spirit.
 This year, Baha'i families
across the city of Ottawa welcomed the new
year with much joy and happiness. In the east end community of Orleans,
the Missaghian family celebrated Naw-Ruz with a small gathering of
friends and neighbours on March 24. "This new year is a particularly
special one as it is the first one following the 200th anniversary of
the birth of Baha'u'llah", said Nadim Missaghian, who works for Public
Services and Procurement Canada.
Nadim, his wife
Christina and their two teenage daughters decided to do
something special to celebrate Naw-Ruz. In addition to serving coffee,
tea and delicious sweets and decorating the house with streamers and
balloons, the family setup three conversation stations on the main
floor - one in the living room, one in the dining room and one in the
kitchen. Each station was marked by a different theme - elimination of
all forms of prejudice, progressive revelation and unity in diversity. more...
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