Note 139

139. the first day of the month of &Baha # 111

In the &Baha'i calendar the first month of the year and the first day of each month are given the name "&Baha". The day of &Baha of the month of &Baha is thus the &Baha'i New Year, &Naw-Ruz, which was ordained by the &Bab as a festival and is here confirmed by &Baha'u'llah (see notes 26 and 147).

In addition to the seven Holy Days ordained in these passages of the &Kitab-i-Aqdas, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the &Bab was also commemorated as a Holy Day in the lifetime of &Baha'u'llah and, as a corollary to this, &Abdu'l-Baha added the observance of the Ascension of &Baha'u'llah, making nine Holy Days in all. Two other anniversaries which are observed, but on which work is not suspended, are the Day of the Covenant and the anniversary of the Passing of &Abdu'l-Baha. See the section on the &Baha'i calendar in The &Baha'i World, volume XVIII. +P226

140. The Most Great Festival is, indeed, the King of

Festivals # 112

A reference to the &Ridvan Festival (see notes 107 and 138).