First day of the Ridwan holiday (21/04)

On April 21, the Baha'is celebrate the First Day of Ridvan. On this day, Bahá'u'llah — founder of the Bahá'í Faith — first publicly announced His mission in 1863 in a garden near Baghdad. On the First Day of Ridwan, elections are held for the Local Spiritual Assembly, which will manage all affairs in the Baha'i community throughout the next year.

At the request of Persia, the Turkish government issued an order to expel Bahá'u'lláh to Constantinople. News of His departure spread rapidly among the people of Baghdad and neighbouring cities, and many wished to be in His presence and pay a final tribute to Him. However, it soon became clear that His house was too small for this purpose.

Then Najib Pasha, one of the representatives of the aristocracy of the city, the former governor, placed his park, Najibiyi, at the disposal of Bahá'u'lláh. This beautiful garden, named by the followers of Bahá'u'lláh Ridwan (meaning «Rai»), was located on the outskirts of Baghdad, on the other side of the river from the house of Bahá'u'lláh.

The day of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in Ridwan's garden is considered the beginning of the holiest and largest of all Bahá'í holidays — of the holiday in memory of the Proclamation of His Mission. The fragmentary descriptions left to the descendants by His chronicler, Nabil, are the only very few true testimonies of the memorable days held by Bahá'u'lláh in the Najibiyya Garden.

«Every day, — narrates Nabil, — at dawn the gardeners cut off the roses that framed the four alleys of the garden and stacked them in the middle of His blessed tent. And so great was the heap of flowers that those who were about to drink morning tea in His tent could not see each other. Bahá'u'lláh personally distributed all these roses to those who left Him, so that the flowers, at His request, would be delivered to His friends — Arabs and Persians, — that remained in the city».

Ridwan — is a twelve-day Baha'i holiday, the main events of which are the first (April 21), ninth (April 29) and twelfth (May 2) days.

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