Overview

The Bahá'í calendar, commonly called the Badíʿ calendar (from an Arabic word meaning "wondrous" or "unique"), is a solar calendar used for religious observance and community life by followers of Bábism and the Bahá'í Faith. It structures the civil and liturgical year so that annual observances align with the seasons: its New Year falls at the time of the vernal equinox. The calendar emphasizes numerical patterns—most notably the number 19—which shape months, days and multi-year cycles.

Structure and timekeeping

The year in the Badíʿ calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days each, producing 361 days. To reach the length of a solar year, 4 or 5 intercalary days are inserted between the 18th and 19th months; these are known as Ayyám-i-Há in Bahá'í usage. Each day begins at sunset and ends at the next sunset. The start of each year, called Naw-Rúz, coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox; the precise moment is determined by established astronomical calculation and community rulings. The calendar was first set out by the Báb, then clarified and applied by Bahá'u'lláh and later administered by the Universal House of Justice.

Months and day names

Each month and each day in the Bahá'í calendar carries a name that reflects an attribute. The 19 months, with common English renderings, are:

  1. Bahá (Splendor)
  2. Jalál (Glory)
  3. Jamál (Beauty)
  4. ʿAẓamat (Grandeur)
  5. Núr (Light)
  6. Raḥmat (Mercy)
  7. Kalimát (Words)
  8. Kamál (Perfection)
  9. Asmáʼ (Names)
  10. ʿIzzat (Might)
  11. Mashíyyat (Will)
  12. ʿIlm (Knowledge)
  13. Qudrat (Power)
  14. Qawl (Speech)
  15. Masáʼil (Questions)
  16. Sharaf (Honour)
  17. Sultán (Sovereignty)
  18. Mulk (Dominion)
  19. ʿAláʼ (Loftiness)

Cycles and era

Years are counted from the Bahá'í epoch beginning at Naw-Rúz in 1844 of the Gregorian calendar; this year-numbering is often called the Bahá'í Era (B.E.). Groups of 19 years form a Váhid, and 19 Váhids (361 years) make up a larger cycle called a Kull-i-Shayʾ. These groupings reflect the centrality of the number 19 in the calendar's conception.

Religious observances and community life

The Badíʿ calendar determines the dates of major Bahá'í observances: Naw-Rúz (New Year), the 19-day Fast (in the last month before Naw-Rúz), Ridván (a multi-day festival commemorating Bahá'u'lláh's declaration), the Nineteen Day Feast (a regular community gathering held every 19 days) and the intercalary Ayyám-i-Há (days for hospitality and charity). The calendar's structure plays a practical role in community administration and ritual rhythm.

Notable features and distinctions

  • The Badíʿ calendar is solar rather than lunar, so its main festivals remain tied to the seasons.
  • Days begin at sunset, following a tradition common to several Near Eastern calendars.
  • The calendar combines spiritual symbolism (the number 19 and the names of attributes) with straightforward astronomical adjustment to match the solar year.

For historical and technical details about its origin, interpretation and contemporary application see sources on the calendar as a solar calendar and on the roles of its founders and institutions: the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and the Universal House of Justice.