19 Day Feast of Words (Kalimat)

The Feast usually occurs on the first day of each Baha’i month. Each month is named after an attribute or name of God – such as Splendour, Glory, Dominion, Knowledge. The Baha’i New Year begins on the 20th or 21st of March (Naw-Rúz) and there follows 19 months each containing 19 days. The last month of the Baha’i year is the month of Loftiness and is a time for fasting from sunrise to sunset in order to deepen ourselves spiritually. The Days of Hospitality (Ayyam-i-Ha) are those 3 or 4 intercalary days each year that don’t fall into a particular Baha’i month and occur just before the start of the Fast.