Baha'is and Thanksgiving

November 8, 9:29 AMAustin Baha’i ExaminerMelissa Pursley

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While searching for material on Baha'is celebrating Thanksgiving, little information was found. If you are a Baha'i that does or does not celebrate Thanksgiving, feel free to leave your comments on this article. There was, however, boundless material on the spiritual meaning of Thanksgiving to Baha'is. Baha'is believe that, like all other times, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God for his many blessings. This thankfulness can come in many forms.

When comparing Baha'i practices of celebrating with meals to Christian practices, it can be noted that Baha'is do not say Grace before a meal. However, if someone is asked to say a prayer before a meal, the following prayer may be said:

"He is God! Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate. - Abdu'l Baha

The reason Baha'is do not say Grace before a meal is explained in the Lights of Guidance, in which a letter was written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, which states the following, "He does not feel that the friends should make a practice of saying grace or of teaching it to children. This is not part of the Bahá'í Faith, but a Christian practice, and as the Cause embraces members of all races and religions we should be careful not to introduce into it the customs of our previous beliefs. Bahá'u'lláh has given us the obligatory prayers, also prayers before sleeping, for travellers, etc. We should not introduce a new set of prayers He has not specified, when He has given us already so many, for so may occasions."
(Lights of Guidance #1501, p. 459; from a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, September 27, 1947)

This shows the welcoming nature of the Baha'i faith, and that we all have something to be grateful for, not only during Thanksgiving, but throughout the year.