When the sun rised on Sunday, March 2, Baha'is throughout the world will have taken their last bite of breakfast and their last sip of water for the day. Every day, until they break the fast at sunset, they'll try to block out hunger pangs, lightheadedness, cottonmouth, the lovely scent of food wafting from the restaurant down the street.

As has been the case with other revealed religions, the Baha'i Faith sees great value in the practice of fasting as a discipline for the soul . Bahá'u'lláh designated a nineteen-day period each year when adult Baha'is fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Baha'i month of Ala (meaning Loftiness), from March 2 to 20, inclusive. The fasting involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires. This is the month immediately preceding the Baha'i new year, which occurs the day of the vernal equinox; and the period of fasting is therefore viewed as a time of spiritual preparation and regeneration for a new year's activities. Women who are nursing or pregnant, the aged, the sick, the traveler, those engaged in heavy labor, as well as children under the age of fifteen, are exempt from observance of the Fast.

As in many world religions, the Fast is a time for reflecting on one's spiritual progress and making an effort to detach from material desires. As one Baha'i puts it, "During the fast, we make an effort to know God better." Baha'is say special prayers before meals. Fasters also turn after-sunset meals into festive occasions shared with friends and family. What they eat varies greatly. Salty food is avoided "because it makes you thirsty later in the day," advises one young Baha'i. "Drink something warm or have soup before dinner," recommends another. Some fasters down a breakfast large enough to qualify as all three meals. Others eat lightly, claiming it stabilizes their metabolism. Still others derive their stamina not from the cuisine but the company. "Some of my best memories are from the devotional (prayer) gatherings held at dawn," one Baha'i says. "It gives you such joy and energy." Perhaps the most practical support a Baha'i faster can get is to hang out with other Baha'is. "We're reminded of our dependence on the physical world, but aren't always are reminded to rely on God. The Fast allows us to honor our relationship with Him and make sacrifices. And, in turn, He ensures that our needs our met."

Abdu'l-Baha, the son and appointed successor of Baha'u'llah, wrote that "Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases."

The Fast, said, Baha'u'llah, helps people become better aware of the sufferings of the poor. Abdu'l-Baha described how the Prophets of God - including Moses, Jesus and Baha'u'llah - all fasted. Thus, He said, the Baha'i period of fasting allows believers to feel closer to the founders of the great religions by sharing this experience.

Reprinted with permission from the Baha'is of the United States at www.bahai.us.