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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
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The Baha'i Fast: Days of Ha

Feb. 15, 2007 – The Bahá'ís of the Virgin Islands will join five million Bahá'ís worldwide in celebration of Ayyám-i-Há or Intercalary Days from Feb. 26 through March 1.
The Ayyám-i-Há, or "Days of Ha," are devoted to spiritual preparation for the fast, celebrating, hospitality, charity and gift giving. They are celebrated for four days (five in leap year) before the last month of the Bahá'í year.
Then on Friday, March 2, the Bahá'ís all over the world join in an annual period of fasting. For 19 days each year, March 2-20, Bahá'ís abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Before dawn, families awaken to pray together and have their morning meal. The obligation of fasting begins at age 15 and continues until the age of 70.
Like Lent in Christianity and Ramadan in Islam, the Bahá'í Fast is essentially a period of meditation and prayer when the individual reflects on his or her own spiritual life. It symbolizes the importance of detachment and self-restraint and is used as spiritual preparation for the Bahá'í New Year, which begins March 21.
For more information about the Baha'i Faith and meeting times, call:
on St. Criox: 772-3827; St. Thomas: 776-7024; St. John: 776-6254 or 776-6316; and Tortola: 284-494-4901

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