…the arrival of Bahá’u’lláh and His companions in the
Najíbíyyih Garden outside the city of Baghdád, subsequently referred to by the
Bahá’ís as the Garden of Ridván. This event, which took place thirty-one days
after Naw-Rúz, in April 1863, signalized the commencement of the period during
which Bahá’u’lláh declared His Mission to His companions. In a Tablet, He
refers to His Declaration as “the Day of supreme felicity” and He describes the
Garden of Ridván as “the Spot from which He shed upon the whole of creation the
splendours of His Name, the All-Merciful”. Bahá’u’lláh spent twelve days in
this Garden prior to departing for Istanbul, the place to which He had been
banished.
The Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh is celebrated annually by the
twelve-day Ridván Festival, described by Shoghi Effendi as “the holiest and
most significant of all Bahá’í festivals”
- The Universal House of Justice (The
‘Notes’ section of the Kitab-i-Aqdas)
