- It was a hot Sat’dee arvo, but the kids had a ball playing in the pool!
A happy Baha’i New Year to all piglets!
A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to attend a party in celebration of the Baha’i ‘intercalary days’. These are the ‘leftover’ days at the end of the Baha’i calendar and are celebrated much the same as we celebrate the New Year, but with little, or no alcohol… The celebration was a real family event, and all the kids had a ball playing in the pool while the adults sat around eating all the wonderful food which was provided by the hosts and some of the guests; chatting and generally enjoying each others company and a pleasantly warm afternoon. These are genuinely very friendly people and I had some very pleasant conversations with people I’d never even met before.
The party’s entertainment began with the dancers in the pictures, whose names I sadly omitted to ask (Jeez, I’d never make a journalist! I must try to do better next time!). This was followed by my young musician friend, whose name I have difficulty remembering because I have difficulty pronouncing it! After this I played a few songs myself and finally, after dark, we ate corn on the cob, Persian style: roasted over a bonfire in the garden then dipped in saltwater, before gifts were given prior to everyone going home.
Now there was a significant difference in the gift giving… all gifts were provided by the host, Farhad, who made sure nobody went home without one! I scored a nice new soldering iron!
After the intercalary days, the first month of the Baha’i year is their month for fasting; this is essentially the Baha’i version of Ramadan, and a reminder of their Islamic origin. I can’t say too much about it except that eating and drinking are taboo during daylight hours for this month, although their are allowances made for age and infirmity, and pregnant women are also not obliged to fast.
All in all, a good time was had by all and I must say that Baha’i parties are undoubtedly the most peaceful ones I’ve ever attended!
These girls really know how to 'shake it'!
The party really got underway when the dancers turned up!
- This dancer’s claim to fame is playing a fairy called ‘Columbine’ in the Aussie TV series, “The Fairies”.
- Love the outfit too!
- I could watch this girl dance for hours!
Window Dresser's Arms, Pig & Whistle 
Sounds like a ball T. A well behaved and very friendly ball. What are you going to do with your soldering iron?
I’m also interested to know how your new found interest in Baha’i and or its followers came about. Beautiful belly dancers can’t be the only reason. I’m assuming that your association has prompted you to look into Baha’i a little, but how did it come about? You would have to have been invited I assume.
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I too was dying to know what T2 is going to do with his new soldering iron. Then I was reminded of the advise my Aussie friend had given me; H, you must not ask too many questions, personal questions are seen as rude in Anglo countries…
Another dear friend had told me to stop ‘interviewing’ people when I first meet them…
My son warned me (before bringing a friend home from school): Can you and dad not always ask so many questions when you talk to my mates.
So ,now I’m careful not to ask what Theseustoo is doing with HIS soldering iron 🙂
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Oh… and I haven’t thought about what I’ll do with the soldering iron yet. At first I thought I might use it to do a bit of leadlighting, but it’s only a 40 watt iron and leadlighting requires a 100 watt iron (well, 90 watts minimum; 100 is better!) So it doesn’t get hot enough for this kind of work. I suppose it will come in handy if ever I should need to do any minor electrical repairs…
🙂
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My interest in the Baha’i faith is not exactly ‘newfound’ Warrigal; I met some Baha’is about ten years ago and remember being fascinated by their philosophy then, but due to cirumstances at the time I kinda drifted away from them; not being a ‘religious’ sort at all.
My interest is primarily socilogical; I want to discover how the put their egalitarianism into practice… I was hoping that some of my new Baha’i friends would read these articles and hopefully correct or modify any misapprehensions I may have made; I certainly don’t want to misrepresent either their social aims or their beliefs and philosophies.
Well, maybe that will still happen at some point.
I put these posts up about the Baha’i because I thought that a very mild sociological article or two about them might interest the piglets; if it doesn’t I do hope they’ll tell me, as I intend to keep writing articles like this one, hopefully in a manner which will gradually uncover and analyse their social philosophies, beliefs and practises… Sorry guys; it’s just the anthropologist in me… If it starts to get too boring for you all, I do hope you’ll let me know, won’t you? (But gently please; I’m a sensitive soul!)
As for Helvi’s questions, Helvi, you may ask me anything you like about anything you like and I shall do my best to give you an honest answer; however, I reserve the right not to answer if I should feel any particular question is inappropriate or too personal, fair enough?
🙂
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T2, it’s a small c catholic pub and I appreciate the posts even when I haven’t much time to even cough up a “yo” (curse you, Hungie !).
At the risk of exposing myself for the wanker that I seem to be becoming, I am working through the mid-life crisis on physical and psychological fronts but have made almost no progress on matters spiritual.
I feel that a lot of Judeo-Christian ideas are surprisingly pragmatic and useful and seem intuitively right, but the motivational bribery (life after death, for example), fundamental problems like the suffering of the innocents and the unspeakable nature of many self-proclaimed believers (e.g. paedo priests), for me, kill off almost all desire for having a belief.
I guess that one of the rusted on qualities of having a science training is that for most assertions and theories, evidence is required – otherwise it might just be (sometimes interesting or amusing) bullshit.
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I’m with you on the ‘evidence’ thing, Emm… that’s why I’m interested in the Baha’is… I’m no potential convert; as I’ve said before, when humanity grows up it will need its god(s) about as much as the average adult needs the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus… But I’m hoping to find some kind of evidence that a truly egalitarian society can actually work.
🙂
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There seem to be very nice parties at the Baha’i with good people. Happy new Baha’i year to you Theseustoo.
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Thank you Gerard! And the same to you… they do have very nice parties, don’t they? They seem to do everything differently from ‘normal’ westerners… their philosophy is based in a thoroughgoing egalitarianim, so I’m really very interested to be able to see such egalitarianism put into practice socially… It’s really quite fascinating.
Oh, BTW, there are a few more pics of the young dancer on the gallery; I downloaded sixteen but didn’t use all of them. I’m not sure if everyone can access the gallery, but those piglets with access to the dashboard are able to view them.
Just don’t press that big red button, okay?
🙂
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Sorry; just got up! I meant, that last sentence should have read: “… really only there for R&R… etc”
🙂
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The young dancer looks very graceful, T2; I can understand you wanting to watch her for hours ! Thank god there was no pole dancing 🙂
How nice of the host to give everybody a present .
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If I have one slight criticism to make of ‘Columbine’s’ dancing, Helvi, it is simply that she should smile more when she does it; the permanent scowl she wore made it seem like she wasn’t enjoying herself. However, I think it was probably a ‘scowl of concentration’… but she has a nice smile when she does!
It is a charming custom, isn’t it, the giving of presents to all guests, by the host? Though as an anthropologist, I can’t help but remark on the similarity of hosting a ‘do’ like this one to ‘bigmanship’…
😉
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If she flashed her her smile more often, one would not even notice if she made a mistake in her dance routine…
I went to a Spanish wedding once, the bride’s parents were poor factory workers, but they wanted to show their friends and relatives that they could put up a wedding as costly as the rich man, so they re-mortgaged their house to pay for it all…sad really.
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Helvi, smile or no smile, I would not have been able to spot any mistakes in her routine; I know so little about dancing of any kind because I used to have two left feet!
Now, of course, I only have one left foot, but that one is my right foot!
I understand perfectly and feel much the same way as you about this kind of ‘bigmanship’; it’s amazing how people can be made to think that the illusion of social status is more important sometimes even that eating or having a roof over one’s head!
It’s another effect of our ‘potlatch’ society, I’m afraid! (One day perhaps I should post an article out the potlatch of the Kwakiutl indians of North America).
🙂
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I’ve never quite understood why all of these religious festivals involve food – either masses of it (feasting) or none at all (fasting).
Voice thinks I do instinctively what these religions have formalized – eat out at restaurants (feasting) then go to the fat farm to remedy the damage (fasting). She’s such a cynic – really, I was just there for some R & R!
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Always nice to hear from you Susan…
The sharing of food is the most fundamental basis for the maintenance of social relationships. The control of food (and sex) are the basis of social control…
Never could understand the ‘fat farm philosophy’… cheaper and easier to go for a halfhour walk every day! I’m sure you were really on there for R$R… don’t worry; I believe you, even if Voice doesn’t!
🙂
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Hi Theseustoo,
You might have a point about food. Even the TV is full of it. We’ve had My Kitchen Rules, followed by Biggest Loser (or the result of eating too much of what’s served up on My Kitchen Rules.)
But the icing on the cake (so to speak) was when A Current Affair last night had a segment on the fact that McDonalds was now offering family-sized meals. No – it wasn’t a commercial.
“Nice story, but It’s not newsworthy”, is something I hear from editors all the time as a freelance journalist. What? And McDonalds big meals are worthy of a prime time television spot?
What am I missing?
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Ever since the AIDs epidemic of the 80s and 90s food has become the new ‘sex’, Susan; and cooking shows are the new ‘pornography’!
I think most magazine/newspaper publishers find anything that doesn’t have lots of blood or explosions in it to be ‘not newsworthy’ simply for those reasons… personally, I think the world needs more ‘nice’ stories; more good news!
I wonder if McDonalds made their story a bit more ‘newsworthy’ by ‘giftwrapping’ it with lots of money for ACA’s producers? Maybe that’s what you’re missing…
😉
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Susan, who cares what voice thinks. Try a life without food
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T2, I am several months into self-renovations (very self-satisfied with the results so far) and I agree, every day exercise is important – so is taking a responsible attitude to food – and eternal vigilance – but so often we need to kick off the addiction to feeling well. And a fat farm is not a bad way to help get hooked. Follow-up visits to Green Acres can assist too.
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