On Saturday, 25 February Habib and Fahimeh Niakansafy of Redwood Village hosted a celebration of Ayyam-i-Ha attended by about 25 friends and community members.
Ayyam-i-Ha means intercalary days.
They are four or five days inserted into the calendar to make it fit into the solar year.
The Bahá’í Faith has a calendar, comprised of nineteen months, each of which has nineteen days making a total of 361 days.
The days of Ayyam-i- Ha bring the total of days in the year up to 365 days in a normal year and 366 in a leap year.
These intercalary days are days of giving: a time of celebration, of bringing the community together and finding ways to reach out to anyone in need.
They come before the month of fasting from March 2 to March 20 when adult members of the Bahá’í community abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, and spend time in meditation and prayer in preparation for the Bahá’í New Year.
This is similar to the period of Lent in the Christian calendar when Christians give up something in memory of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and spend time in contemplation and prayer in preparation for Easter.
The celebration of Ayyam-i-Ha this year in Kingborough included a potluck dinner, socialising and games enjoyed by all.
Pictured are Ava Parkes with her baby Layla, Nosrat Ta’eed, Shirin Fernandez and Mae Parr.
