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The fast takes place from sunset on March 1st to sunset on March 20th. It falls between Ayyám-i-Há and Naw Rúz. Here are some quotes from the Bahá'í writings about the fast:
"... this physical fasting is a symbol of the spiritual fasting, that is, abstaining from all carnal desires, becoming characterized with teh attributes of the spiritual ones, attracted to the heavenly fragrances and enkindled with the fire of the love of God."
"We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturidy [15 years old]; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. he hath exempted those who are weak from illness or age, as a bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous."
During the fast Bahá'ís over the age of 15 do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset each day. That is, they cannot eat or drink while the sun is up. As Bahá'u'lláh has said in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, only healthy adults are obliged to fast. Children are not allowed to fast because their bodies are growing and need nutrition. However, this does not mean that kids cannot participate at all in the fast. If you look at the first quote by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, he says that the fast is really a spiritual time. It is a time to think about how you want to become more spiritual in your life, and to think about what kind of a person you want to become.
Many families try to include their children during the fast. What has your family done together during the fast?
When I was in grade school, my parents let my siblings and I participate in the fast by fasting from snacks. This meant that while the sun is up we could not eat anything between meals. This became challenging at school when kids would bring a birthday snack, and they'd wonder why we did not want to eat it. But it gave some wonderful opportunities to tell people about the Bahá'í Faith!
If anyone has anything they'd like to share about the fast, e-mail me and I would be happy to share it on this page!
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