Festival of Ridván, Bahá’í Elections, and Señor Wences

 

An old view of the Najibiyyih Garden in Baghdad along the Tigris River. Photo courtesy of Médiathèque baha’ie at http://www.bahaibiblio.org.

The nine days between April 21st and May 2nd mark the most important festival on the Bahá’í calendar. Here are the words of Shoghi Effendi:

The arrival of Bahá’u’lláh in the Najibiyyih Garden, subsequently designated by His followers the Garden of Ridvan, signalizes the commencement of what has come to be recognized as the holiest and most significant of all Bahá’í festivals, the festival commemorating the Declaration of His Mission to His companions. So momentous a Declaration may well be regarded both as the logical consummation of that revolutionizing process which was initiated by Himself upon His return from Sulaymaniyyih, and as a prelude to the final proclamation of that same Mission to the world and its rulers from Adrianople.

 Shoghi Effendi

Ridván (pronounced rez-vawn or rez-wawn) is the time set for Bahá’ís throughout the world to elect the members of their local and national governing councils (Local and National Spiritual Assemblies). The elections of  Spiritual Assemblies take place between sunset, April 20th and sunset April 21st.

April 20th is also the anniversary of the passing to the next world of Señor Wences, whose ventriloquist act was the source of happiness for children and adults for several decades. Wenceslao Moreno (his real name) was the webmaster’s favorite act on The Ed Sullivan Show! Here is a link to his appearance on The Muppet Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AaIDmiFXmo. He died in 1999 at the age of 103. The world is a better place because of Señor Wences.

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