First Day of Ridvan
Jalal 13,166 B.E. April 21,2009
Today is the first day of Ridvan.Ridvan is a twelve day celebration going from Jalal 13 to Jamal 5 or April 21 to May 2. This is when Baha'u'llah declared His Mission in 20 B.E. or 1863 A.D. This is where He Declared Himself to be God's Manifestation for the age we live in This is the same year Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Abdu-l'Baha said the Collective Center of the Kingdom establishes relation between East and West. This happened in 20 B.E. and it is still happening in 166 B.E. here in Dryden ,New York. In the front window,on the sill there are two stacks of newspapers. On the west side of the sill is the Ithaca Journal. On the east side of the sill is the Cortland Standard. There is the Orenda of the Cortland Ithaca Spirit. The Orenda is a synonym for the Persian Word Khwarenah in the Avestan Language and Khwarr in the Pahlavi. This relation is worth studying in great detail.Ridvan has a teleological ramification to it because it implies : "The Final Cause of Creatures" which means Reunion with God. The Baha'i Faith is not just another Religion, the Baha'i Faith is the Final Consummation.
There are many terms Baha'u'llah uses to demonstrate this fact.