Create a Festive Ayyám-i-Há!

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Ayyám-i-Há, the Bahá’í festival of charity, hospitality, service, and gift-giving, is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to friends in our communities. It’s also a chance to create memorable events for our kids and students. In 2022, the dates for Ayyám-i-Há are February 25–March 1.

Since there are no specific requirements for Ayyám-i-Há celebrations, there’s no limit to the creativity we can apply to these joyful days. Here are ideas from some families around the world. 

 

These are the cookies that we make every year to share with friends and neighbors—we call them “radiant hearts and brilliant stars”—my mom used to make them when my brother and I were children and sent them to school with us for all of the children in our classes and a card explaining what Ayyám-i-Há was ...—Charity P., Georgia, U.S.

 

 

We have a gift each day for the kids, give cards to friends, presents to family and close friends. Then this year we plan to have a kids party. Different workshops for the kids to join in, with cookie decorating, an art activity, colouring, toy corner for little ones, etc. And snack together. Ideas for acts of charity and service would be great. We recently had a lot of flooding in our town so maybe a collection so we can buy things folk need, but really would welcome ideas. Also thought we might put up a decoration each day until Naw-Rúz, and then our place will be nicely decorated in time for New Year.—Diane E., Scotland

 

For our most memorable Ayyám-i-Há yet, we held a party to assemble birthday baskets for a children's home. Friends from many and no faiths attended. It took some coordinating, but it was well worth it.—Heidi H.

 

Last year, I got to visit [my son’s] class, and am excited to come back this year! First, I read Maggie Celebrates Ayyám-i-Há to all of them. Then, as a group we discussed the book and talked about the ways Maggie showed kindness to those around her and how nice it feels when someone does something kind for us.

We then talked about people in the school that do things for us every day, but, may not get the recognition they deserve (custodians, cafeteria ladies, nurse, attendance clerk, school counselor, etc.) So, I passed out construction paper, stickers and markers. Everyone got to work on decorating a thank you card for someone. (I had worked with the teacher ahead of time to get a list of names of all of these people.) I also had typed up and printed a small paper for each card that said “You are noticed, valued and appreciated. Love, Miss H’s Kindergarten Class!” for each child to glue on.

After everyone finished, we all walked around the school and got to deliver the cards to each person. Each recipient was absolutely overjoyed and so thankful for the recognition and card. It was such a special afternoon.  Afterwards, I passed out a page of “100 Acts of Kindness For Kids” for each child to take home to continue doing things for others since it made all of us feel so great. I also included a small explanation of Ayyám-i-Há so parents could see the inspiration behind the kindness project. :)

I can't wait to go back in two weeks and do this again with Jacob’s first grade class. After last year's visit, I had some of the parents come up to me and say their child told them that was their “favorite day of school!” and they all had so much fun thinking of others. I’m thankful for an open-minded school that allows me to come and do this . . . Love this time of year!!!! —Debbie V., Texas, U.S.

 

We have a community service project each year during Ayyám-i-Há, cooking and serving dinner to 400 people through the Methodist church. One night is our community dinner/gift exchange, then we try to coordinate with nearby communities to attend their parties as a cluster. And I ask my son’s teacher if it’s okay to bring treats to his class. and I make little gifts for my coworkers with a brief explanation about it.—Bonnie D., Idaho, U.S.

 

We attended a Bahá’í House of Worship gingerbread building/decorating party. We’d been saving our leftover Halloween candy for this purpose since, well, Halloween. So happy to finally put it to good use. Real Bahá’í houses of worship always have nine sides, and always have gardens. So a sweet friend-of-a-friend, who isn’t even a Bahá’í, graciously offered to plan, cut, bake, and instruct us in the construction of these amazing gingerbread feats. I think there were five or six families, with one house per family – that was a HUGE amount of cutting and baking. Bless her heart.

Ours turned out pretty spiffy. Each of the kids got to decorate three “gardens,” since we have three kids and there are nine gardens. (We homeschoolers are excellent at math.) BoyWonder and I made one “garden” with a Reese’s PB cup “fountain” and another one with melted lime Now ‘n’ Later “grass” and strawberry Nerds “flowers.” (And by “BoyWonder and I” I really mean “I, while BoyWonder snuck more candy into his mouth.”) So. Much. Fun.—Annie R., Washington, U.S.

 

Our cluster is planning to put on a concert for Stanford Hospital patients in which each class prepares a song to perform. It was a simple way to put on a “concert” with minimal coordination and maximum participation. —Sayona K., California, U.S.

 

I wanted to share our New Family Tradition. For each day of Ayyám-i-Há, the kids will add a bird to the tree. Then for each day of the Fast, they will add a flower. We will have a fully bloomed tree for Naw-Rúz. They are so excited, and have started to make the flowers. —Emily H., Massachusetts, U.S.

 

 

 

 

We do secret camel, where we draw names and try to do secret acts of kindness for that family member as well as leave a small gift per day. That way service and gift giving are put together and the kids are involved in the gift giving. And everyone just gets one small gift (things they might need) until the last day when everyone gets a nicer gift and we reveal who our secret camels were. It's fun trying to guess who scraped the snow off the windshield or the other acts of service done for us. And the kids love being a part of the giving. . . . My mom used to do something similar to this when I was growing up. I've just sort of tailored it through the years until it became this. But it seems to keep evolving over the years depending on our needs. Some years we do it longer and other years shorter lengths of time. Still learning how to celebrate this wonderful holiday together! That's the fun part, I think . . .  We also found a wooden 3D peacock puzzle at Michael's Crafts and one year we each painted pieces of the puzzle, added glitter, and assembled it. We carefully pack it up and bring it out each year. It's become a bit of a centre piece.—Amber H., Ontario, Canada

 

Got our Ayyám-i-Há kindness elves set up for tomorrow! Anyone else starting? —Maryam S.  

 

When my children were little, we started making “Ayyám-i-Há People” as part of our celebration of Ayyám-i-Há. The practice grew and developed until 25 years and perhaps 300 Ayyám-i-Há people later we had a family tradition. For the days of Ayyám-i-Há, an assortment of craft material, much repurposed, is left on the table with a pile of blank “people-shaped” figures made of construction paper. The crafting materials were used gift wrapping paper, old calendars, greeting cards, etc. Gel pens, glue sticks, and scissors were left on the table for the four days.

Whenever anyone, members of the family or guests, wanted to work on their Ayyám-i-Há person, they could. When we had parties, the guests were invited to make Ayyám-i-Há people. On the back of the Ayyám-i-Há person they created, they were invited to write their name and the year it was made. We put tape circles on the back and added it to the other Ayyám-i-Há people taped holding hands on the wall. Strips of tape were put down the back of the person so each year when we would apply and take off the tape circles, the tape would come off without damaging the Ayyám-i-Há person.

Each year we would put the Ayyám-i-Há people up on the wall. It was lots of fun to review them as we put them on the wall, remembering the circumstances around which they were made, where we lived at the time, and the friends who created them. The kids also enjoyed seeing the ones they had made when they were younger. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the beauty and diversity of the family of man. I take them down after Ayyám-i-Há but leave 19, and each day of the Fast, I take one down.

Guests really become absorbed in looking at all the Ayyám-i-Há people and spend time looking at each one before they sit to do their own.—Lynne A., Pennsylvania, U.S.

 

We try to make it special by making small gifts for family and teachersand making a family donation to the Fund. I also made my kids these star stockings, based on a tradition my mother started when we were kids. Each morning I hang them out on their chairs at the breakfast table, with a small treat inside.—Leanna GM

 

 

 

 

I think this craft is pretty cool, and not just because I made it up. It’s fairly simple, it doesn’t take any fancy supplies, and as long as you have good quality tape, it won’t cause too much gray hair. I’m calling it a “unity wreath” because it’s a 9-pointed star, which is frequently used as a symbol of the Bahá’í Faith. Unity is kind of our thing. I think this wreath would be a pretty cool Ayyám-i-Há decoration. Find the instructions here. —Annie R., Washington, U.S.

 

How will you celebrate this year? Share your ideas with brilliant@usbnc.org.

 

 

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Updated on 4.05.16