Joyous celebrations are to take place throughout Australia and the world as Baha’is observe their New Year holy day, which occurs on 21 March.
A special public service of prayers will begin at the Baha’i House of Worship in Sydney at 11am tomorrow.
Elsewhere across the country, Baha’is will gather in homes, halls or Baha’i centres for prayer and fellowship.
Naw Ruz (literally “New Day”) is held on 21 March, but the celebrations, open to all, begin the evening before.
The festivities follow a 19-day fast in which adult Baha’is have abstained from food and drink between sunrise and sunset.
The Fast is a period of prayer, meditation and spiritual recuperation, with fasting being a reminder of the need for individuals to be detached from their material desires.
Naw Ruz is the first day of the year in the Baha’i calendar. It coincides with the ancient Persian Naw Ruz festival, held throughout Iran and the wider cultural region.
The day marks the vernal equinox, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Celebrations also occur elsewhere in the region and in various other countries and communities worldwide.