Baha'is celebrate community in Escondido

By: STACY BRANDT - Staff Writer | Sunday, February 25, 2007 10:34 PM PST ∞

ESCONDIDO ---- The smell of pizza and the sound of dozens of drums filled the air Sunday as local followers of the Baha'i religion began their four-day celebration leading to an annual fast.

More than 100 Baha'is filled the multipurpose room at Central Elementary School to observe Ayyam-i-ha, which began at sunset.

The celebration included tables full of food and games for children, as well as lessons from Nana Yaw Asiedu, who led dozens of children and adults through several songs on a variety of African drums.

"I think it's a great celebration," 11-year-old Sumitra Gupta said. "It makes everyone joyful."

Ayyam-i-ha lasts from sunset Feb. 25 to March 1 and is an annual celebration of hospitality and community in preparation for a 19-day fast that begins March 2 and ends March 21, the beginning of the Baha'i year. The fast typically extends from sunrise to sunset each day. In the Baha'i faith, each new day begins at sunset.

"The fast ends on the first day of spring, so in many ways we look upon the fast as a spiritual awakening just as the earth is going through its awakening," said John Forbes, who has followed the religion for 35 years.

The Baha'i faith started in 19th-century Persia and has roughly 6 million followers around the world, many of whom live in Iran, where they are often persecuted and not allowed to go to college or obtain a drivers license.

Arash Aghsani came to the United States six years ago because of this persecution. He said he is thrilled to be able to meet with so many people of the same faith, which wasn't possible in Iran after the Islamic revolution in 1979.

"In Iran, we couldn't have a gathering like this," he said Sunday night with a smile. "We were allowed to only have 15 or less people in a gathering."

About half of the Escondido Baha'i community is from the Middle East, said Verna Sundquist, a member of the Baha'i spiritual assembly in Escondido.

The religion has no clergy. Baha'i communities are guided by a nine-member spiritual assembly.

In the faith, religion is seen as something that is constantly evolving. Baha'is believe that many different prophets were messengers of the same god, including Baha'u'llah, the founder of the religion, and Jesus Christ and Muhammad, among others.

Not only does the religion embrace unity and diversity, the Ayyam-i-ha celebration often focuses on art and music, which is where the African drum lessons come in, Sundquist said.

"We try to have as much exposure to different things as we can," she said. "We always do something with music or arts."

In previous years, entertainment has ranged from a talent show to Persian dancing.

Though most of the people attending the event were members of the church, the event is open to the entire community.

Because Baha'is often don't celebrate Christmas, Ayyam-i-ha often serves as a time when parents give gifts to their children, though they are usually modest, Sundquist said.

"We don't really put an emphasis on material things," she said.

There is, however, a strong emphasis on children and making them feel a part of the community.

Sumitra said she enjoys the celebration because it's a time to meet up with friends and have fun.

"The togetherness makes everyone happy," she said. "People always look forward to coming to these events."

-- Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 631-6622 or sbrandt@nctimes.com.

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