Practices of the Baha'i Faith

No local church buildings (meet in homes, public schools, community centers). Seven Temples worldwide (all nine sided) open to anyone, Baha’i or not, for prayer, meditation and for hearing readings from revelations (holy books) of all religions. Baha’is expect that, in time, every local community will have a Baha’i center.

No clergy or priesthood: leading group worship and other group activities is shared by everyone in the community

Baha’i calendar: The Baha’i year is nineteen months of nineteen days each with four (or five) "intercalary days" celebrated just before the last month of the year (Feb. 26 - Mar. 1). The Spring Equinox is the New Year (Persian tradition - same as Zoroastrianism). Baha’is fast from sunup to sundown (cf.: Muslim way of fasting) during their last month of the year (Mar. 2 - 20).

• Holy days commemorate key events in the early history of the faith concerning the Bab and Baha’u’llah (their birth, death and declaration of mission):

• Naw Ruz (March 21): New Year Day

• Ridvan (April 21 - 29 - May 2): 12 day period celebrating the declaration of Baha’u’llah. Important days are 1st, 9th and 12th

• Declaration of the Bab (May 23)

• Ascension of Baha’u’llah (May 29): commemorating the death of the founder

• Martyrdom (death) of the Bab (July 9)

• Birth of the Bab (Oct. 20)

• Birth of Baha’u’llah (Nov. 12)

• Holidays are commemorated with no work, "feast" celebrations (open to non-Baha’is) within the local Baha’i Community and, in some cases, fasting.

Other activities include regular (weekly, monthly) "firesides" where Baha’is and their non-Baha’i friends and others interested in learning about the faith, gather for discussion and socializing. "Deepenings" are held for study of Baha’i and other sacred texts.

Group decision making: Consultation and consensus:

• Leadership at all levels is through election from among all members without nominations or campaigning. Each voting member simply selects the nine names he or she honestly feels most suited to leadership. Those nine in the group who receive the most votes are thus elected to the post.

• Group decisions are always made through group consultation and discussion leading, ideally, to unanimous conclusion. Ideas brought to the discussion are seen as belonging to no one in particular and, thus, to all and are considered in the objective light of equality. The vote of the majority is not the preferred way of group decision making.

Social teachings as most important to spread:

Although the Baha'i Faith is a "universal" religion and, thus, certainly open to converts, they do not seek converts aggressively. The hope is that, by example, they can model the kind of social attitudes and practices (e.g., consultation and consensus) that can create a peaceful, global human community. If their social teachings become the norm for human society, they do not concern themselves with everyone accepting their spiritual teachings (since they consider that every religion already shares the same basic spiritual teachings).