Baha'is to hold elections

The Baha'is of Amherst will be joining Baha'is worldwide on April 21 in celebrating the Festival of Ridván, the most significant of all Baha'i festivals. A brunch and special prayer service will be held at 10 a.m. at the Amherst Baha'i Center, 2218 Kensington Ave.

The Festival of Ridván signals the commencement of a 12-day period during which Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Baha'i faith, first declared his mission to his companions.

In a tablet, Bahá'u'lláh refers to his declaration as "the day of supreme felicity." Bahá'u'lláh spent 12 days in a garden prior to departing for Istanbul, the place to which he had been summoned by the Ottoman Sultan at the instigation of an antagonistic clergy.

The night before the celebration, the community will hold the annual election of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Amherst, a sacred privilege and spiritual obligation.

There are no paid clergy in the Baha'i faith, and the nine-member Spiritual Assembly consults on all administrative matters pertaining to the community.

The Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh is celebrated annually by the 12-day Ridván Festival, described by Shoghi Effendi, a former guardian of the faith, as "the holiest and most significant of all Baha'i festivals."