Flower Mound Baha’is inaugurate new calendar

to celebrate Founders’ Births

            [Flower Mound, TX, Oct 28,2015] – For the first time ever, the Baha’is of Flower Mound will use a new calendar to celebrate the “Twin Birthdays” of their religion’s founders on two consecutive days.

The Birth of the Bab November 13 commemorates the 1819 birth in Shiraz, Persia, of Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, who later took the title “the Bab,” meaning “the Gate.” The Bab was the herald who prepared the way for Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith.  He called on people to purify themselves for the coming day of God. This will be celebrated on Thursday, Nov 12, at 7:30 PM at the Lewisville Baha'i Center, 103 Kathryn Ln, in Lewisville.

The Birth of Baha’u’llahon November 14 commemorates the 1817 birth of Baha’u’llah (born Mirza Husayn-‘Ali) in Núr, Persia.  Baha’u’llah means the “Glory of God,” who announced in 1863 that he is God's messenger for this age.  His teachings and sacred writings are the basis of the Baha'i Faith, an inclusive monotheistic faith that’s grown to more than five million believers in nearly every country and territory across the globe. This will be celebrated on Saturday Nov 14, 2015, at 9:00 AM.

            Baha'u'llah proclaimed that God, our loving creator, sends divine messengers or manifestations of God with teachings that enable humanity to know and to worship God.  These great manifestations have appeared throughout history every 500 to 1,000 years, bringing human civilization to ever higher levels of spiritual and material advancement.  Baha'u'llah is the latest in this long line of divine messengers, which has included Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster and the Bab.

            Up until now, Baha’is have observed certain holy days according to the solar calendar for communities in the West, and a lunar calendar for communities in the Middle East. This implied that some holy days would be celebrated on different dates, depending on where in the world a Baha’i lived. The Baha’i community is now implementing its new “Badi” calendar on a world-wide basis.

The Bahái Faith has been active in Flower Mound since 1970 and offers devotional programs, children’s classes, and study circles for spiritual education for people of all backgrounds. For information, check www.dfwbahai.org or call 972-539-1809.  The faith is represented in every state and thousands of communities throughout the United States.  To learn more about the Baha'i Faith in America, visit www.bahai.us.