Letters[edit]
- https://bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_1986_2001#Celebrating_Christmas
- https://bahai-library.com/uhj_bahai_attitude_christmas
Difference between celebrating festivals with Bahá'ís and with non-Bahá'í friends and relations[edit]
"In deciding whether or not to participate in such traditional activities, the Bahá'ís must guard against two extremes. The one is to disassociate themselves needlessly from harmless cultural observances and thus alienate themselves from their non-Bahá'í families and friends; the other is to continue the practice of abrogated observances of previous dispensations and thus undermine the independence of the Bahá'í Faith and create undesirable distinctions between themselves and their fellow-Bahá'ís. In this connection there is a difference between what Bahá'ís do among themselves and what they do in companionship with their non-Bahá'í friends and relations. For example, in a letter written on behalf of the Guardian there appears the following guidance:
""As regards the celebration of the Christian Holidays by the believers: it is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Year, and to have their festal gatherings of this nature instead during the intercalary days and Naw-Rúz.""
Bahá'ís with one another should discontinue celebrating (Christmas and) New Years, and instead celebrate (Intercalary Days and) Naw-Rúz[edit]
"98 HOLY DAYS OF OTHER RELIGIONS
"As regards the celebration of the Christian Holiday by the believers; it is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and to have their festival gatherings of this nature instead during the Intercalary Days and Naw-Ruz...."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 38)
(Slightly different version in Lights of Guidance:)
"As regards the celebration of the Christian Holidays by the believers: It is surely preferable and even highly advisable that the friends should in their relation to each other discontinue observing such holidays as Christmas and New Years, and to have their festal gatherings of this nature instead during the intercalary days and Naw-Ruz."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 19, 1938, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1029)
"The Bahá’ís should give up the celebrating of Christian Holy Days such as Christmas. The same applies to Bahá’ís of Jewish and Moslem extraction etc. However, this is not a thing for the Spiritual Assemblies to enforce now; but each one should conscientiously begin to do this―otherwise, people will never know we are members of a new religion, but will think we are just people believing two or three things at the same time."
- (15 August 1957, letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_1986_2001#10.2a )
