In 1863, Bahá’u’lláh stayed in a garden on the banks of the Tigris River for 12 days, during which His many admirers in the city came to bid Him farewell. Bahá’u’lláh announced to the friends gathered with Him during those days that He was God’s Messenger for a new age, foretold in the world’s scriptures. He called the garden they were gathered in “Riḍván,” meaning “paradise.” The Riḍván period was also a time when Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed the foundational spiritual principles that lie at the heart of His teachings, including the oneness of humanity and freedom from prejudice, the inherent nobility of the human being, the equality of women and men, and the harmony between religion and science. Today, the festival of Riḍván is the most joyous of Bahá’í holy days. In villages, towns, and cities around the world, Bahá’í communities celebrate these special days with gatherings open to all. #Bahai #Ridvan (fb)

“It is the Festival of Riḍván, the vernal season wherein the Beauty of the All-Glorious was revealed betwixt earth and heaven. In this wondrous Day the gates of Paradise were flung open before the faces of all people, at the behest of Him Who is the All-Praised, and the outpourings of divine mercy rained down from the clouds of celestial favour upon His countless embodiments and manifestations in the world of being.” — Bahá’u’lláh #Bahai #9thdayofRidvan (fb)