Ayyam-i-Ha brings communities together in joy, service and unity

In a time of growing uncertainty, communities have gathered to promote unity, joy and to contribute to the welfare of their localities as part of the Baha’i festival of Ayyam-i-Ha. 

Ayyam-i-Ha is a four-to-five-day festival preceding the Baha’i Fast. It is devoted to generosity, acts of service, and fellowship. This year Ayyam-i-Ha fell on 25 February through to 1 March. 

Communities across Sydney marked the occasion in a myriad of ways. In North Sydney, friends, families and strangers spent the morning at St Leonards Park creating collaborative artworks guided by a local artist.

Nature’s debris was repurposed into joined hearts, people holding hands (or a bicycle, depending on perspective), prickly spirals, a fig-leaf sun and a fern frond given a final moment of pre-compost glory. 

In nearby Lane Cove, the friends participated in a food drive and Australia Day clean-up, with more than 700 kilograms of food donated to the local Food Bank organisation.

In inner Sydney, students presented handmade fridge magnets and books about historical figures of the Baha’i Faith to their school community, also watching a short video about Ayyam-i-Ha with their class.

“Our principal and teachers were so lovely and kept thanking us, saying how closely our beliefs align with the school’s values and philosophy, and how grateful they are for sharing the joys of Ayyam-i-Ha with them,” one of the mothers shared.

A devotional service was also held at the Sydney Baha’i House of Worship on the theme of Ayyam-i-Ha. Watch the full service below: 

The Baha’i Fast is a 19-day period taking place each year during which adult Baha’is fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Baha’i month of Ala—meaning Loftiness—from 2 to 20 March. It immediately precedes the Baha’i new year and is a time of prayer, meditation, and spiritual rejuvenation.