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Bahai believers gather for one of holiest days
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE © St. Petersburg Times, published May 27, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- A stout candle burned atop the tiered display draped with green and white cloths, bunches of hibiscus, roses and bougainvillea. Rows of votive candles and strings of white lights completed the festive scene. For Bahais the world over, Tuesday was a special night. In St. Petersburg, close to 100 believers gathered at the local center, 676 Second Ave. S, to celebrate one of their faith's holiest days -- the Declaration of the Bab, the Iranian merchant who foretold the coming of Bahaullah, the religion's founder. Though always auspicious, the celebration paying homage to the Bab held particular significance this year. It was the day that 3,500 Bahais, 19 from each country, and guests representing many of the world's faiths gathered to celebrate the completion and dedication of the formal gardens at the Bahai World Center in Haifa, Israel. Rising from the heart of the 19 terraced gardens that feature native trees, plants, fountains and lights, is the gold-domed, columned and arched shrine of the Bab. In St. Petersburg, Bahais watched the dedication ceremonies that were broadcast by satellite. For two women present that evening, whose program also included readings from Bahai scriptures, gospel music extolling Bahai tenets and a social gathering of dessert and punch, the events in Haifa were especially poignant. Mildred Birkett, 84, recently returned from a pilgrimage to the landmark shrine. "The gardens are absolutely breathtaking," Mrs. Birkett said as she described the $250-million project that took 10 years to develop and complete. "No picture can capture the beauty of these gardens. There's nothing out of place. It is the closest thing to heaven you can imagine. There are fountains. Everything is just impeccable." Monique McCauley, 20, watched the evening's broadcast of the Haifa celebrations with the earnestness of a recent convert. "For me, as a new Bahai and just learning the history, for me, it was emotional to see how far things have come in the last 25 years and how much we are advancing as a faith," said Ms. McCauley, a student at the University of South Florida. An African-American, Ms. McCauley said she was pleased to see the diversity represented by the thousands of Bahais from around the world -- many in native clothing and headwear and even painted faces -- who attended last week's ceremony. "That really touched me, because it lets you see that mankind can live in harmony with one another. That image really reaffirms our cause," she said. Bahais, whose faith was founded in Iran 158 years ago, believe in a series of divine manifestations that include Moses, Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed. They believe that Bahaullah, who was born to a wealthy Iranian family and as a young man gave up his life of luxury to tend to the poor, is the latest manifestation of the divine. The faith has no clergy. Local and national centers are administered by elected officials. At the international level, nine men are chosen every five years to serve on the Universal House of Justice, which is located on Mount Carmel. The body oversees the world's Bahais, who number about 6-million. For believers, the Bab played a role similar to that of John the Baptist, who foretold the coming of Jesus. The Bab heralded the coming of Bahaullah and also is considered a divine manifestation in his own right. He became a martyr of the faith when he was executed by Iran's Islamic government because of his teachings. In accordance with instructions given by Bahaullah, the Bab's remains eventually were enshrined on the side of Mount Carmel in 1909. Since then believers have constructed several other buildings on the site and developed the recently dedicated gardens as well. Bahaullah, who was exiled from his native Iran to nearby Akko, at that time a penal colony of the Ottoman Empire, also is buried in Israel. His shrine is in Bahji, a short distance from the shrine of his forerunner. Last week, as Bahais everywhere celebrated the dedication of the terraced gardens that surround the Bab's shrine, Mrs. Birkett counted herself fortunate to have visited her faith's world headquarters. "I became a Bahai in 1952, and I've had the privilege of going to a lot of large Bahai events," she said. "I went on my first pilgrimage in 1976. At that time, there weren't nearly as many buildings as there are now. When I was there in 1976, it was just the shrine of the Bab and the International Archives and they were excavating for the Universal House of Justice building, which is the seat of the world administrative body. Now they have several other buildings. These buildings, some of them are several levels below the ground. The interiors are absolutely beautiful. It's almost like an art gallery." Then, of course, there are the gardens. "It's so beautiful. I just can't express it," Mrs. Birkett said. "I just can't see how they can maintain it, but they do." They are, said a Bahai official during Tuesday's ceremony, a monument to the triumph of love over hate. Bahaullah taught his followers that there is only one God and one race. He advocated gender equality, universal education, a universal auxiliary language, elimination of extreme wealth and poverty and world peace. Ms. McCauley, who is a former Baptist, says the faith she embraced on June 26, 2000, has had a profound effect on her life. "I had been around Bahais and studying the faith for about four years before I declared," she said. "Once I started to learn about the teachings and learn more about the faith, it really fit with my personal beliefs and with the things I had really felt in my heart for a long time -- the overall message of unity and the oneness of mankind and the oneness of God in religion," she added. "We are supposed to be getting ready for a one world civilization," said Mrs. Birkett, who converted from Christianity when she was in her 30s. "I won't live to see that, but I can help along the way."
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