Q: Do Bahá’ís celebrate Christmas or other non-Bahá’í holidays?
By Daniel Pschaida | FāVS News Columnist
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
Bahá’ís are encouraged to attend the worship services of kindred spiritual communities — whether Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. — and celebrate the shared worship of one God, one Spiritual Reality. This includes Christmas services.
Many Bahá’ís have Christian family members, and it is fine to celebrate Christmas with them, if invited by those family members. In addition to this, many Bahá’ís enjoy the Christmas holiday decorations and celebrations that are quite cultural in this country, themselves participating and decorating to varying degrees.
Yet, in regards to Bahá’í community services or entirely Bahá’í families, Bahá’ís are instructed not to focus on Christmas holidays but our own many holidays over the year, which includes celebrating Jesus himself — “the reason for the season” — in Christ’s return in the person of Bahá’u’lláh (-1892), who is the founder of the Bahá’í Faith. His birthday was on Nov. 12, 1817, and we celebrate his birthday every year.
I personally believe it is important to try to celebrate God every day in our manner of work and treating others with dignity and loving-kindness, not only in November or December, allowing God to be born into this world each day through our peace, joy, and generosity with each other.
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