Ayyám-i-Há gifts: ideas for the Bahá’í days of giving

At the end of February, just before the Bahá’í Fast, Bahá’ís around the world celebrate Ayyám-i-Há – a few days set aside for hospitality, generosity and joy. It is the main gift-giving season of the Bahá’í year, especially for children. Here is what the festival is about, and gift ideas for family, friends and whole communities.

What is Ayyám-i-Há?

The Bahá’í calendar, the Badí’ calendar, has 19 months of 19 days – 361 days in all. To keep it in step with the solar year, four or five extra days are added, depending on the year. These are the Ayyám-i-Há, the “Days of Há”: the Arabic letter Há has the numerical value five.

Bahá’u’lláh placed these days just before ‘Alá’, the last month of the year, when Bahá’ís fast from sunrise to sunset. The Bahá’í year begins with Naw-Rúz at the spring equinox, so Ayyám-i-Há falls at the end of February, ending the day before the Fast begins on 1 or 2 March.

In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh describes how these days should be spent:

“It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy…”Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, paragraph 16

The same passage calls them “these days of giving that precede the season of restraint” – and that is the spirit of the festival.

How Ayyám-i-Há is celebrated

• Hospitality: parties, shared meals and open houses for family, friends and neighbours of every background.
• Gifts: exchanged between family and friends, and above all given to children.
• Charity and service: remembering “the poor and needy” with donations, food drives and acts of service.
• Preparing for the Fast: the joy of Ayyám-i-Há leads into nineteen days of prayer and fasting, which end at Naw-Rúz.

There is no fixed ritual, so every family and community celebrates a little differently. That freedom is part of the fun.

Ayyám-i-Há gift ideas

For children

• A colourful ringstone cord bracelet in their favourite colour.
• An illustrated children’s prayer book, or prayer cards to learn by heart.
• Craft kits to make decorations or cards for the Ayyám-i-Há party.
• A small ornament – a bright painted wall hanging or another piece from our figurines and décor.

For teenagers and young adults

• A ringstone bar bracelet or cable bracelet, for an everyday look.
• A journal for reflections during the Fast.
• A book of Bahá’í writings in a pocket edition.

For adults

• A ringstone symbol ring – a gift that is worn every day.
• A keepsake from Haifa, such as a Shrine of the Báb model.
• Framed calligraphy of the Greatest Name for the home.
• Tea glasses or a teapot for hosting devotional gatherings.

For hosts

Invited to an Ayyám-i-Há party? Bring flowers, sweets, fruit or a dish to share. Leave the wine at home – Bahá’ís do not drink alcohol.

Gifts for a whole group

Children’s class teachers, junior youth animators and community hosts often need a small gift for everyone. A few tips:

• Choose one item in several colours, so everyone gets the same thing but can still pick a favourite.
• Keep it light and unbreakable if it has to travel – bracelets are ideal.
• Buy one or two extras for newcomers and visitors.

Charity and service

Ayyám-i-Há is not only about presents. Many families pick a cause together – collecting food, visiting someone who is alone, volunteering – and some give children a small budget to give away rather than spend on themselves. It is a lovely way to pass on the meaning of the festival.

In Haifa for Ayyám-i-Há?

If you are visiting the Bahá’í World Centre at the end of February, our shop on Hertzel Street is a short walk from the Bahá’í Gardens and stocks Bahá’í jewelry and keepsakes that make easy gifts to carry home.