Spain

Celebrations from Around the Globe

Below is a glimpse of celebrations honoring the bicentenary of the birth of the Báb in many localities across the country

Spain

Public exhibition helps passers-by understand significance of the Bab’s Revelation

The community of Irun, Spain, organized a public exhibition with beautifully designed posters to mark the bicentenary of the birth of the Báb. The posters succinctly convey, to interested passers-by, information about the significance and influence of the Báb’s Revelation. They also provide a brief overview of the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith and some quotations from the Holy Writings.

Spain

Audio story recorded in Spain recounts the life and martyrdom of Anís

A few members of the community in Spain created a brief moving audio story narrating the life of Anís. The account begins at the beginning of this youth’s life and ends at the moment of his execution alongside the Báb.

Spain

Screening of Dawn of the Light

Friends gather at a hall in Madrid, Spain, for a screening of the film Dawn of the Light, followed by some questions and answers.

Spain

In Spain, an art and poetry exhibition features mystic artistic expressions

An exhibition of poems and paintings created to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of the Báb was organized in Órgiva, Spain. Many of the poems on display employ mystical metaphors to express the journey of the development of the soul, while the paintings represent a variety of styles.

Spain

Bahá’ís in Spain record songs in honor of bicentenary

The Bahá’í community of Spain commissioned several songs in honor of the Báb’s bicentenary. Included among them is a musical rendition of a well-known prayer of the Báb that reads, in part, “God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth.”

Spain

Community in Marbella, Spain raises awareness about the environment

Youth and adults in Marbella, Spain, came together to clean and raise awareness among their fellow residents about the care of their surroundings as part of broader efforts to mark the bicentenary.

Spain

Informative banners prepared for bicentenary celebration

These banners were displayed at a bicentenary celebration in Utebo, Spain. They describe the lives and missions of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh as well as the aims of the Bahá’í community.

Spain

Song about the Báb's declaration as “the Promised One”

This song draws on the following words of the Báb: “I am, I am, the Promised One! I am the One Whose name you have for a thousand years invoked…,” were the Báb's stirring words to a group of clergy in Tabríz. Composed by musicians in Spain, the song also quotes other passages from the Bahá’í writings about the Báb’s illuminating Message.

Spain

Community creates an album marking the bicentenary

The Spanish Bahá’í community has created an album featuring songs written and performed by people across Spain and the Canary Islands. This collection of songs touches on various themes, including the life and Writings of the Báb, the lives of the early heroes of the Faith, and the connection between their challenges and those facing society today.

Spain

Fostering a vibrant community life

Inspired by the bicentenary of the Báb community members from San Pedro de Alcantara, neighborhood in Marbella, Spain, invited their neighbors to become part of a process of community building in which service and worship are interwoven.

Spain

Showcasing books and photography for the bicentenary

At an event in Villaviciosa, Spain, a collection of books and pamphlets about the Bahá’í Faith and the bicentenary are made available on a beautifully decorated table. Also on display are photographs: one of the Shrine of the Báb and another of the Báb’s home in Shíráz, Iran.

Spain

Children celebrate the bicentenary as a community with art and group activities

Children and adults in Zaragoza, Spain, celebrate the bicentenary in an animated event consisting of several group activities, one of which resulted in the children making a drawing of the Shrine of the Báb.

Spain

Members of a community in Spain celebrate the bicentenary with their neighbors at a local park

In Seville, Spain, a few dozen members of the community, including children and families, participated in a vibrant celebration in their neighborhood park. The festivities were characterized by a spirit of solidarity as the friends spoke together about the needs of their community.

Spain

Song inspired by poem of renowned Persian poet

Inspired by a well-known Persian poet, an Iranian-Italian scholar and writer composed lyrics about the mission and teachings of the Báb.

Spain

Musical composition inspired by the writings of Bahá’u’lláh

A choir in Spain performs a musical composition for the bicentenary inspired by a quotation of Bahá’u’lláh: “…he who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God.”

Spain

Commissioned album about the Báb now available

Tributo al Prometido, an album of 12 songs in a variety of musical styles has been composed by people across Spain and the Canary Islands in honor of the bicentenary. The music quotes from His Writings, draws on episodes from the life of the Báb and the courageous deeds of his early followers, and reflects on the relevance of His teachings to current societal challenges.

Spain

Music from the Bahá’í Writings animates gathering

On a sunny afternoon in Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain, families gathered to prepare for their upcoming bicentenary celebrations. Attendees sang selections from the Bahá’í Writings put to music, including the following from Bahá’u’lláh’s Hidden Word: “Thou art My lamp and My light is in thee.” Other songs also drew from two prayers of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “Bestow upon me a heart which, like unto a glass, may be illumined with the light of Thy love,” and “Unite and bind together the hearts, join in accord all the souls …. O Lord! Make these faces radiant through the light of Thy oneness.”

Spain

Commemorative stamp, brochure, and poster published

The Bahá’í community of Spain produced a commemorative postage stamp for the bicentenary. The community also published a brochure and poster explaining the impact of the Bab’s life and message, the extraordinary courage of His first followers, and how the Báb paved the way for Bahá’u’lláh.