A New Year for Everyone
J. E. Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, (1923), George Allen & Unwin · Read original
When in Bahá'í history
A retelling for children, based on Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era by J. E. Esslemont, which records a talk 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave at Naw-Rúz in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1912.
It was the very first day of spring, in a city called Alexandria, right beside the sea. This was a special day for the friends of God — it was Naw-Rúz, the new year. All the cold of winter was over, and the world was turning fresh and green again.
On a day like this, people love to celebrate. And 'Abdu'l-Bahá told His friends that yes — they truly should! He said that in every age, God has given people blessed, happy days. On those days, He said, the shops should close and the work should be set aside. Everyone should come together and rejoice as one, like a single big family, so that everybody can see how united and how happy God's friends really are.
But then 'Abdu'l-Bahá taught them something they might not have expected.
A special day, He said, should not be wasted on only having fun. It would be such a shame to let a beautiful day slip by with nothing good left behind it. So on days like this, He told them, the friends of God should start things that will help people for a long, long time.
And here was the most surprising part of all. 'Abdu'l-Bahá said the kind things they did should not be only for themselves, or only for other Bahá'ís. He wanted them to leave behind good "traces" — kind and lasting things — that would reach all people, everywhere, every kind of person, with no one left out. Because God's love and mercy are for the whole world, He said, and His hope was that every single one of His friends might become like the mercy of God to all people.
Long ago in Persia, where many of the friends came from, the new year was already a joyful time. People would gather outdoors for picnics, and there would be music, and beautiful words read aloud. And in the days just before the time of fasting, families gave one another presents and looked after anyone who was poor or sick.
What 'Abdu'l-Bahá taught made that old, happy custom grow even bigger and wider. A new year, He showed them, is not just a day to rest and feast. It is a day to be kind — and not only to your own friends, but to the whole wide world.
So the next time you have a special day, you can remember what 'Abdu'l-Bahá said by the sea. Of course you can sing and play and feast with the people you love. But try, too, to leave one kind "trace" behind — one good and helpful thing — that makes the world a little brighter for someone else.
This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "Abdu'l-Bahá's Naw-Rúz Talk in Alexandria".
Cite this story
Esslemont, J. E.. (1923). *Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era*. George Allen & Unwin. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19241/pg19241-images.html
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