Ayyam-i-Ha
- Details
- Category: Alison Marshall's Column
- Created: Sunday, 26 February 2006 12:59
- Published: Sunday, 26 February 2006 12:59
- Hits: 7222
We are now in the days of Ayyam-i Ha, also known as the Intercalary Days. These are the four or five days that come before the month of 'Ala, when the fast begins on March 2. These few days are important because the Baha'i calendar of 19 months each with 19 days does not add up to a full solar year. The intercalary days make up the difference.
How should we celebrate Ayyam-i Ha?
"Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Ha, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; and when they end - these days of giving that precede the season of restraint - let them enter upon the Fast." (Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, para 16)
What does the word 'Ayyam-i Ha' mean? In his book, Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time, John Walbridge explains:
"The numerical value of the letter ha or 'H' is five, so the term may literally mean 'the five days'. Ha is also an abbreviation of 'huwa' , Arabic for 'He', referring to God. Thus Baha'u'llah refers to these days as 'manifestations of Ha' - ie, sacred days. Finally, Ha is associated with the names of both the Bab and Baha'u'llah - 'bab' having a numerical value of five and ba and ha being the root letters of Baha."
John Walbridge: Sacred Acts, Sacred Space, Sacred Time (George Ronald, 1996) p 216
Go to the original blog entry...