Structure
The Feast should, if possible, begin on the first day of the new month of the Bahá'í calendar. Attendance is considered a spiritual responsibility, but is not obligatory. The meeting can vary in style between any two communities, but each must have the same format - a devotional portion, followed by a community consultation, followed by a period of socialization. Quite often there is food served, though this is not a requirement. The different portions should not regularly be given undue weight. However, Shoghi Effendi cautioned against too many set forms, or allowing any particular cultural form to become rigid:
- The further away the friends keep from any set forms, the better, for they must realize that the Cause is absolutely universal, and what might seem beautiful addition to their mode of celebrating a Feast, etc., would perhaps fall on the ears of people of another country as unpleasant sound - - and vice versa.
- From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, July 20, 1946
Read more about this topic: Nineteen Day Feast
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