The Bahá’í calendar, known as the Badí‘ (“Wondrous”) calendar, is a solar calendar whose structure itself expresses spiritual ideas of order and unity. It is composed of 19 months of 19 days each, giving 361 days, with the remaining 4 or 5 days of the solar year set aside as intercalary days called Ayyám-i-Há. These intercalary days, placed between the 18th and 19th months, are devoted to hospitality, charity, gift‑giving, and preparation for the Fast. The year begins at the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, so Naw-Rúz, the Bahá’í New Year, falls around March 20 or 21. Each month bears the name of a divine attribute, and the days themselves also have spiritual names, so that the passage of time is continually associated with qualities of God. In this way, the calendar is not merely a method of reckoning dates, but a framework that gently orients the community toward ongoing spiritual remembrance.

Within this pattern, the Nineteen Day Fast and Ayyám-i-Há form a kind of spiritual hinge between years. Ayyám-i-Há, observed from February 26 to March 1, is a period of joy, generosity, and service, immediately followed by the Fast, which runs from March 2 to 20. During the Fast, adult Bahá’ís who are able abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset, using the time for prayer, reflection, and renewal. Naw-Rúz then arrives as both the first day of the new year and the celebration that breaks the Fast, symbolizing spiritual rebirth and fresh beginnings. The rhythm of feasting, fasting, and festivity thus shapes the inner life of the community over the course of the year.

The major holy days of the Bahá’í Faith are closely tied to events in the lives of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, the central figures of the religion. Foremost among these is Naw-Rúz, the New Year, followed by the twelve-day Festival of Ridván, which commemorates Bahá’u’lláh’s public declaration of his mission; within this festival, the first, ninth, and twelfth days (April 21, April 29, and May 2) are especially sacred. Other principal observances include the Declaration of the Báb on May 23, the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh on May 29, and the Martyrdom of the Báb on July 9. The births of the Báb and of Bahá’u’lláh are also celebrated as great holy days, honoring their appearance and station. On nine of these holy days, Bahá’ís customarily suspend work and school, as circumstances allow, gathering for prayer, readings, and fellowship.

Additional commemorations further deepen the sense that sacred history unfolds across the calendar. The Day of the Covenant and the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, for example, are observed in remembrance of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’s unique role as interpreter of the teachings and exemplar of the Bahá’í life. Although not all such days require suspension of work, they are widely marked with devotional gatherings. Taken together, the Badí‘ calendar and its holy days invite believers to experience time itself as a spiritual journey: each month, each festival, and each commemoration becomes an opportunity to recall divine attributes, historical milestones, and the ongoing work of inner transformation.