Baklava, a Middle Eastern pastry; grapes; and strawberries were the foods that helped the Baha’i student association celebrate Ayyam-i-ha, which is a four-day period of festive activities before a month of fasting.

“They’re days we spend time together being joyous, spending time with families and showing generosity by giving gifts to people who we love,” said Bahia Quinlan, junior in LAS and member of the executive board.

The Baha’i religion started in 1863 in Iran, according to the Baha’i Association – University Web site. According to the site, the man who founded the religion, M¡rz  Husayn-Al¡, was born in T¡hr n on Nov. 12, 1817. Baha’i’s followers know him today as Bah ‘u’ll h, which means the glory of God. Currently, there are seven temples devoted to Baha’i religion and six million followers.

Quinlan said starting Wednesday night, followers of Baha’i who are older than 15, will take part in this 19-day fast. They will not be able to eat or drink while the sun is up. She said the month of fasting is viewed as detachment from the outside world.

“There are no clergymen in the Baha’i faith, there is no minister or preacher who gets up and preaches every Sunday,” Quinlan said.

She said instead of having ministers, different community members lead the sessions.

Mona Quinlan, Quinlan’s sister and sophomore in ACES, said her family has always celebrated Ayyam-i-ha, but since she is not with her family, the student association’s celebration is the best way to remember how important these days are to her.

“In the Baha’i faith, each individual has the right to declare for themselves that they would like to be a Baha’i, so when I was 15, I got the chance to declare my self as a Baha’i,” Mona said.

The Baha’i student organization tries to have events once a month. She said some events are social and others are tied to religious holidays.

“It is always a comfort to find people who remind you of things from back home or who have similar religious beliefs,” Mona said.

Samudra Gupta, sophomore in Engineering and president of the Baha’i student organization, said to him Ayyam-i-ha means to party and have fun.

Gupta said the Baha’i calendar has 19 months, which makes up 361 days. The four days that are left is Ayyam-i-ha, which is a time for gift-giving and community involvement.

Last semester the student association, which is the oldest Baha’i student organization, had its 75th anniversary. He said this year was the first time the organization had an Ayyam-i-ha celebration on campus.

“We wanted to have our own party that we could open up to the college community and invite all of our friends .” Gupta said.