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Search for tag "Marriage"

from the chronology

date event locations tags see also
1850 Jun The first known written Bábi marriage certificate was between Mírzá Muhammad Ja'far Khan and Tuba Khánum, the daughter of Vahid. It was signed and dated a few days before Vahid's martyrdom and was written in Vahid's handwriting. The dowry was set at one Vahid (19 mithqals of gold). [Vahid's Heroic Stand - Nayriz 1850 video at 11min 21seconds] Nawriz; Iran Mirza Muhammad Jafar Khan; Tuba Khanum; Vahid (Siyyid Yahyay-i-Darabi); Marriage; Marriage certificate
1904 28 Oct Ali Kuli Khan married Florence Breed, the first marriage between a Persian and a Western Bahá'í. [BFA2:147]
  • For details of this marriage see SUR223–20.
  • When 'Abdu'l-Bahá heard the new of the marriage He said, ‘This is the first sign of union between East and West.’ Then He sent for candies to be brought and said, ‘The event is so joyous that it must be celebrated!’ And He distributed the candy to those present, as is the custom for the parents of the bridegroom to do at a Persian wedding banquet. [AY26]
  • See AY51-53 for the history of the Breed name.
  • See AY53-> for the relationship between Khan and the Hearst family.
    		•  United States Ali Kuli Khan; Florence Breed; Firsts, Other; Interracial marriage; Weddings; Hearst family; Phoebe Hearst
    1912. 22 or 27 Sep The marriage of Louis G. Gregory and Louisa (“Louise”) A. M. Mathew, the first interracial Bahá’í couple, who met while on pilgrimage and whom 'Abdul-Bahá had encouraged to marry. They exchanged Bahá’í vows after the rites performed by Rev. Everard W. Daniel, curate of St. Philip’s Protestant Episcopal Church, perhaps the most prestigious African American church in the country, in a private ceremony in his residence. In a “Tablet” (translated March 14, 1914). She was 46 and he was 8 years younger. [SYH73-75, 91]
  • `Abdu’l-Bahá lauded the Gregorys’ marriage as “an introduction to the accomplishment” of harmony between the races. [`ABDU’L-BAHÁ’ S 1912 HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPEECH: A CIVIL WAR MYTH FOR INTERRACIAL EMANCIPATION p117 by Dr Christopher Buck]
  • See The Journey West.
  • The prayer, "Verily, they are married in obedience to thy command. Cause them to become the signs of unity and harmony until the end of time..." was revealed for their wedding by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. [FMH97]
  • ”Intermarriage is a good way to efface racial differences. It produces strong, beautiful offspring, clever and resourceful.” [sYH7]
  • [239D:169] reported this marriage took place on the 27th of September.
  • At this time interracial marriage was legal in Washington but not socially acceptable. It was outlawed in 25 states. It wasn't until 1967 that legislation forbidding interracial marriages was henceforth illegal. In the Washington community at this time there were white Bahá'ís who did not yet understand the principle of racial unity. [SYH80, 85-86]
  • "I made that marriage." 'Abdu'l-Bahá is reported having said to Mrs Parsons. "I wish the white and coloured races to marry"
    		•  New York; United States Marriage; Louis Gregory; Louisa Mathew Gregory; Firsts, Other; Race (general); Unity; Interracial marriage; Weddings; Louise Gregory
    1937. (In the year) The marriage of Ruth Browne and Ellsworth Blackwell in Chicago. Theirs was the second United States inter-racial Bahá'í marriage. [from White and Negro Alike. Stories of Baha'i Pioneers Ellsworth and Ruth Blackwell]

    In a cablegram, in 1939, the Guardian asked American Bahá’ís, “White and Negro alike,” to arise and move to foreign lands, especially to countries in the Caribbean and in Central America. Ellsworth and Ruth Blackwell volunteered to give up jobs and leave their home in Chicago and go where the need was greatest. In 1940, they were the first Bahá’í pioneers to move to Haiti, where they spent more than half of the next thirty-five years. Here are stories, many told in their own words, of the victories, as well as the challenges, they experienced in Haiti and in periods when they returned to Chicago between 1940 and 1975.

    		 Chicago, IL Ruth Browne; Ruth Blackwell; Ellsworth Blackwell; Marriage; interracial marriage
    1937 25 Mar Shoghi Effendi married Mary Maxwell, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum. [PP151; UD115; BN No107 April 1937 p1]]
  • For a description of the simple wedding see GBF68–9 and PP151–2.
  • Shoghi Effendi stressed that the marriage drew the Occident and the Orient closer together. [GBF69–70; PP153]
  • The American Bahá’í community sent $19 from each of its 71 Assemblies as a wedding gift. [GBF70; PP153]
  • An extension was built onto Shoghi Effendi’s apartment on the roof of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa to accommodate the couple. [BBD107; DH152]
  • See also MA89.
    		•  Haifa Shoghi Effendi, Life of; Amatul-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum; Interracial marriage; Gifts; Shoghi Effendi, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded
    1939 22 Sep The State of Illinois issued the first Bahá’í marriage licence, authorizing the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago to solemnize Bahá’í marriages and issue Bahá’í marriage certificates. [GPB373] Illinois; United States Marriage; Weddings; Recognition; Firsts, Other
    1950 (In the year) The Court of the First Instance in Karkúk, Iraq, registered a Bahá’í marriage certificate. [MBW4; UD248]
  • This was the first time in the East, outside Israel, that a Bahá’í marriage was recognized as being legal, an important precedent for other Oriental countries. [MBW4; UD248]
    		•  Karkuk; Iraq Firsts, Other; Marriage; Weddings; Recognition
    1979 (In the year) The government of Denmark recognized the right of the Bahá'í Community of Denmark to perform marriages and to receive other rights owning to a religious community. [SRRB14p248-250] Denmark Marriage
    1980. 18 Jan The publication of the compilation on Divorce by the Universal House of Justice. [MUHJ63-86p404] BWC Divorce; Marriage; Family (general); Compilations; Publications
    1982. 18 Feb The publication of the compilation entitled "Family Life" by the Universal House of Justice. [Messages63-86p533, Compilation of CompilationsVol 1 p385] BWC Marriage; Family (general); Compilations; Publications
    1982. 18 Nov Publication by the Universal House of Justice of the compilation on “Family Life”. [BW18p41; CoC1p385] BWC Marriage; Family (general); Compilations; Publications
    2004 (In the year) The General Register Office in Northern Ireland officially recognised the Bahá'í Faith as a legitimate religion with authority to marry its members. Dr. Beman Khosravi has been appointed as official Bahá'í Marriage Officer. The first marriage took place in Cullybackey between Carmen Zambrana Candel and John Twiname. [The Belfast Telegraph 28 April, 2004] Northern Ireland Marriage; Recognition

    from the chronology of Canada

    date event locations tags see also
    1914 30 Apr The marriage of Dr Zia Bagdadi, an Arab from Syria and devoted companion of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Zeenat Khánum, daughter of Hasan Aqá Tabrízí, a personal attendant of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká. It was the wish that these two Middle-Eastern Bahá'ís should be married in the Maxwell home. It was the first Bahá'í marriage in Canada. [OBCC73] Montreal, QC Marriage; Zia Bagdadi; Zeenat Khanum
    1937 25 Mar Shoghi Effendi married Mary Maxwell, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum. [PP151; UD115]
  • For a description of the simple wedding see GBF68–9 and PP151–2.
  • Shoghi Effendi stressed that the marriage drew the Occident and the Orient closer together. [GBF69–70; PP153]
  • The American Bahá’í community sent $19 from each of its 71 Assemblies as a wedding gift. [GBF70; PP153]
  • An extension was built onto Shoghi Effendi’s apartment on the roof of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s house in Haifa to accommodate the couple. [BBD107; DH152]
  • See also MA89.
    		•  Haifa Marriage; Mary Maxwell; Amatul-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum
    1947 Nov Noel Wuttunee and Gerda Chrostopherson, both who had recently moved from Calgary, accepted the Faith and were married in Winnipeg. [Bloodworth, Grains of Wheat p19] Winnipeg, MB; Calgary, AB Noel Wuttunee; Gerda Chrostopherson; Marriage
    1953 (Summer) First Bahá'í w@ddmg in London was solemnized between Dorothy Boys and Bob Smith, the Secretary and Chairman of London Assembly. Friends attended from Toronto, Hamilton and Forest. [CBN No 45 October 1953 p5] London, ON Marriage; Dorothy Boys; Bob Smith
    1953. 14 Jul Gale Keass and Jameson Bond were married in the Maxwell home, the first marriage to be performed there since it was declared a Shrine. [UC43] Montreal, QC Gale Keass; Jameson Bond; Marriage; Shrine
    1954. 14 Jul The first Bahá'í wedding in Charlottetown took place on July 14, when Muriel Sheppard and Elwood McLeod were united in marriage by Rowland Estall. They spent a nine-day honeymoon on the Magdalen Islands, where they were able to make some friends and visit Mrs. Kay Zinky, the pioneer there. [CBN No56 Sep 1954 p5] Charlottetown, PE Marriage; Muriel Sheppard; Elwood McLeod
    1956 09 The National Spiritual Assembly published the policy for the performing of a Bahá'í marriage by a local spiritual assembly. [CBN No 80 September 1956 p4] Marriage
    1957. 2 Feb Dr Donald Kidd and Mary Campbell, both of Edmonton were married in a Bahá'í marriage ceremony in Calgary. It was the first Bahá'í wedding to take place in the province of Alberta. [CBN No87 April, 1957 p3] Calgary, AB Marriage; Don Kidd; Mary Campbell
    1958 (In the year) The Bahá’í marriage ceremony was first legally recognized in Ontario. [MoC208 note 9] Ontario Bahai Marriage, Legal recognition
    1958. 16 Dec The government of British Columbia issued the first certificate of Registration under the Marriage Act which certified that the Chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly was legally authorized to solemnize marriage. [CBN No 109 February 1959 p4] Victoria, BC Bahai Marriage, Legal recognition
    1959 Oct In the October 1959 edition of the Canadian Bahá'í News it was announced that request from the National Spiritual Assembly to the province of Saskatchewan for authorization for Bahá'í Assemblies to solemnize marriages in the province was accepted. [CBN No 117 October 1959 p2] Saskatchewan Bahai marriage
    1960 1 Jul Ben Whitecow and Louise Many Guns were married in the first Bahá'í marriage legally recognized in Canada in a Bahá'í service by the Spiritual Assembly of Calgary, Alberta. The Canadian Bahá'í News article noted the significance that it was a First Nations couple who had this honour in this unique event. “Thirty people attended from Edmonton, Lethbridge, Regina, Piikani First Nation (Peigan Reserve), AB, and Calgary. This event was unique in that it was the first legally recognized Baha’i marriage in Canada. It is significant that a First Nations couple should have this honour [Canadian Baha’i News 1961]. Calgary, AB Ben Whitecow; Louise Whitecow; Louise Many Guns; Bahai Marriage, Legal recognition
    1964. (In the year) The Yukon Territorial Government granted the right to perform legally recognized marriages to the Whitehorse local assembly. [Native Conversion, Native Identity: An Oral History of the Bahá'í Faith among First Nations People in the Southern Central Yukon Territory, Canada by Carolyn Patterson Sawin p98] Whitehorse, YT Bahai Marriage, recognition of
    1968 1 Sep The marriage of Cynthia Wrate to Reginald Newkirk in Lethbridge, AB. It was the first Bahá'í (only) marriage ceremony performed by the Lethbridge Assembly and the first interracial marriage in Lethbridge. (Source: email from Reggie Newkirk 25Sep2016) Lethbridge, AB Reggie Newkirk; Cynthia Wrate; Cynthia Newkirk; Cindy Newkirk; Marriage
    1981. 29 May - 3 Jun The International Conference on Marriage and the Family was held May 29-June 3 was held in Ottawa concurrent with the ABS conference to hear papers presented by scholars on various aspects of Bahá’í studies.

    Just as Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum had ended the Association’s annual conference, so she opened the three days of its International Bahá’í Conference on Marriage and the Family, speaking first about the problem of divorce, endemic among the Bahá’ís as it is in the world at large, and a source of great concern at the World Centre. Although marriage, she said, is not in itself a commandment, it is essential that Bahá’ís obey and take seriously the Bahá’í laws on marriage.

    One of the speakers at the International Bahá’í Conference on Marriage and the Family, sponsored by the Association for Bahá’í Studies was Mrs Yoshiko Nomura, a housewife from Tokyo, Japan, who was the founder and executive director of the Center for Lifelong Integrated Education.

    Other speakers included Kerry Mothersill, A.M. Ghadirian, Khalil A. Khavari, Michael Bruwer, Jane Faily, Frank Haendel, Hossain Danesh, Eric Frost, Sandra Roberts, N. Peseschkian, Ruth Eyford, and Anne McGillivray. [BN Issue 607 October 1981 p7]

    		 Ottawa, ON International Conference on Marriage and the Family; Amatul-Baha Ruḥiyyih Khanum; Kerry Mothersill; Abdul-Missagh Ghadirian; Khalil A. Khavari; Michael Bruwer; Jane Faily; Frank Haendel; Hossain Danesh; Eric Frost; Sandra Roberts; Nossrat Peseschkian; Ruth Eyford; Anne McGillivray

    from the main catalogue

    1. Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks, by Abdu'l-Bahá (2018). 57 selections, updated 2019. [about]
    2. Apparent Contradictions in the Bahá'í Writings, Reconciliation of, by Universal House of Justice (2002). On apparent contradictions, regarding Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl on Abraham and Zoroaster; 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a Baby Naming Ceremony; Minimum Age of Marriage; Smoking and Firmness in the Covenant; Corporal Punishment; Táhirih as "Woman Suffragette." [about]
    3. Applications of Positive Psychotherapy for Marriage and Family Therapy, by Nossrat Peseschkian, in Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). To understand observed behaviour, we need to consider transcultural conditions as well as those in the personal history of the patient. This approach underlies the author's concept for a conflict-centred therapy. [about]
    4. Baha'i Burial and Related Laws, by Bahá'u'lláh and Shoghi Effendi (2020). Applicability of laws; preparations for burial; prayers and services; cemeteries, graves, and tombstones; exhumation; honoring the dead; cremation and miscellaneous issues. [about]
    5. Bahá'í Marriage and Family Life (1983). Selections from the Bahà’i writings. [about]
    6. Bahá'í Teachings, Aspects of, by Universal House of Justice (1997). Authenticity of Statements; Mathnavi; Quranic quotations; Marriage Prayer; 'Sun' and 'Moon'; Hands of the Cause; Night of Power; Khatt-i-Badi; Sarcophagus for Bahá'u'lláh; International Bahá'í Library Building; Lunar Calendar and Holy Days; Leiden; Kings. [about]
    7. Challenges for Bahá'í Youth in a Western Way of Life, by Universal House of Justice (2013). Difficulties young people might face in upholding Bahá'í ideals and standards of behaviour in the context of Western culture and sexual mores. [about]
    8. Childhood Abuse, and Revoking Parent's Right of Marriage Consent, by Universal House of Justice (1992). Guidance on therapy and recovery from sexual abuse. The abusing parent's right to consent to marriage can be revoked. [about]
    9. Communal Harmony: India's Greatest Challenge, by National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India (1993). A formal statement from the NSA of the Bahá'ís of India on the need to overcome religious, linguistic and caste-based tensions. [about]
    10. Cultural Diversity in the Age of Maturity, by Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, in Compilation of Compilations, Volume 3 (2000). [about]
    11. Dawn over Mount Hira and Other Essays, by Marzieh Gail (1976). A collection of essays on various topics of interest to Bahá'í studies and history. Most of these were first published in Star of the West and World Order between 1929 and 1971. [about]
    12. Development and Dimensions of Love in Marriage, by Hossain Danesh, in Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). As with all forms of love, love in marriage is developmental in nature. Its development is closely related to the process of maturation in the individual. [about]
    13. Developmental Stages in Marriage, by Hossain Danesh (n.d.). [about]
    14. Difficulty of teachings on chastity, by Universal House of Justice (2013). Discusses the need of institutions not to pry but to encourage willful obedience with the teachings on chastity; also covers conditions for removal of administrative rights. [about]
    15. Divine Institution of Marriage, The: Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). Compilation of essays on marriage from a Bahá'í perspective. [about]
    16. Divine Institution of Marriage, The, by Anonymous, in Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). [about]
    17. "Easy Familiarity," Explanations of, by Ruhiyyih (Mary Maxwell) Khanum and Ann Boylan (1912). Statements on displays of affection (hugging and kissing) between members of the opposite sex. Also questions on assembly infallibility, and whether one with a minority opinion should vote against his conscience. [about]
    18. Faith, Theory, and Practice: Interracial Marriage as a Symbol of the Oneness of Humanity, by Benjamin Leiker (2004). [about]
    19. Family in Bahá'í Faith, The, by Moojan Momen (1996). Overview of Bahá'í teachings on marriage, children, and education. [about]
    20. Family Law in Iran, by Sen McGlinn (2001). Detailed overview of 20th-century Iranian laws regarding marriage, divorce, marriage rights and duties, dowry, and inheritance. Contains passing mentions of the Bahá'í Faith. [about]
    21. Family Life, by Báb, The and Bahá'u'lláh, in Compilation of Compilations, Volume 1 (1991). [about]
    22. Family Life, by Shoghi Effendi and Universal House of Justice (2008). Extracts on preserving the bond between husband and wife, parent-child relationships and responsibilities, and enhancing family life. [about]
    23. Healthy Communication in Marriage, by Hossain Danesh (n.d.). [about]
    24. Hinduism and the Bahá'í Faith, by Moojan Momen (1990). An attempt to explore the relationship between Hinduism and the Bahá'í Faith and to explain the Bahá'í Faith to those who are from a Hindu background. [about]
    25. Marriage and Sexuality, by Hossain Danesh (1991). Transcript of a talk at a private home in Springfield, Virginia, recorded and distributed for teaching and deepening. [about]
    26. Marriage and the Nuclear Family: A Bahá'í Perspective, by Khalil A. Khavari, in Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). Bahá'í concepts of the purposes of marriage, courtship and dating, family communication, and children. [about]
    27. Marriage Breakdown in North America: A Psychosocial Perspective, by Kerry Mothersill, in Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). What are the effects of marital breakdown, what are its causes, and what can be done to enhance marital and family stability? [about]
    28. Marriage certificates of The Bab and Baha'u'llah, in Bahá'í World, Vol. 5 (1932-1934) (1934). Marriage certificates of The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. [about]
    29. Marriage, Bahá'í: Warwick Leaflets, by Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop (1992). Bahá'u'lláh said everyone should marry. Marriage unites the physical and spiritual in a "fortress for well-being" and provides for the nurturing of children. People should choose partners carefully. Discusses the ceremony, solving problems and divorce. [about]
    30. Marriage, Consent of Parents to, by Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá (n.d.). [about]
    31. Marriage: the Eternal Principle, by Ruth Eyford and Helgi Eyford, in Bahá'í Studies Notebook, 3:1-2 (1983). The role marriage plays in our ultimate purpose to know and worship God. The practical implications of marriage from a Bahá'í perspective. To what extent can we accept modern secular answers and therapists' techniques to marital problems? [about]
    32. Marriages, Preserving Bahá'í, by Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá, in Compilation of Compilations, Volume 2 (1991). [about]
    33. Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986: Third Epoch of the Formative Age, by Universal House of Justice (1996). [about]
    34. New Religious Movements, Tolkien, Marriage, by Universal House of Justice (1994). Various questions: new religious movements; Indian Letter of the Living; J.R.R. Tolkien; eternality of the marriage bond; illumination of Bahá'u'lláh's tablets. [about]
    35. Notes on Letter from Shoghi Effendi re Parental Consent for Marriage, by Universal House of Justice (2021). Answers re a letter from the Guardian from 1929 on: the correct order of two excerpts from this letter; confirmation that he read and approved all letters written by his secretaries; this is one of few letters where a secretary offered a personal opinion. [about]
    36. Notes on Words of the Guardian, by Virginia Orbison (1956). Ten pages of notes, preserved as an appendix to Orbison's lengthy manuscript "Diary of a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Made by Virginia Orbison, January 15 to February 11". [about]
    37. Oneness of Mankind, The: Basic Principle of the Bahá'í Faith, by National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, in Bahá'í News, 303 (1956). Statement of Bahá'í teachings prepared in order to clarify the position of members of the Faith throughout the United States at this critical hour, published as an insert in the U.S. Bahá'í newsletter. [about]
    38. Police Forces Bearing Arms, Bahá'í Enlistment in, by Universal House of Justice, in Bahá'í Studies Bulletin, 3:4 (1995). Two letters from the House on joining armed police forces, e.g. the Ulster Defence Regiment and the police force in Northern Ireland, and whether they would be allowed to bear arms. Also discussion of consummating marriage, and marrying an atheist. [about]
    39. Question of Gender, A: A Forum on the Status of Men in Bahá'í Law, by Susan Maneck and Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani, in dialogue magazine, 2:1 (1987). Six authors address issues of theology, sociology, law, inheritance, equality, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, marriage, and feminism raised by John and Linda Walbridge's article "Bahá'í Laws on the Status of Men" (World Order 1984). [about]
    40. Recognition of Bahá'í Marriage and Holidays in American State Law (1998). List of sample legal statutes and proceedings from various states, followed by specific legal counsel of the State of Oklahoma regarding recognition of Bahá'í holy days. [about]
    41. Reflections on the Principle of Unity/Oneness, Some, by Hooshmand Badee, in Lights of Irfan, 19 (2018). Reflections on the message of Bahá'u'lláh creating the oneness of humanity and a global society that is based on unity and love rather than factors such as economic and political gains. [about]
    42. Six-Year Plan, 1986, by Universal House of Justice (1986). Outline of Bahá'í goals for 1986-1992, and collection of letters from the House. [about]
    43. Study Guide for Baha'i Marriage and Family Life (1986). This study guide is a companion to the compilation Bahá'í Marriage and Family Life. [about]
    44. Summon Up Remembrance, by Marzieh Gail (1987). Memoir left by Ali-Kuli Khan, one of the first translators of Bahá'í Writings; writings of his wife Florence; other family papers and memories. [about]
    45. Tablet on Marriage (Lawh-i-Nikáh), by Bahá'u'lláh (1994). [about]
    46. Thoughts on Marriage, Some, by Margaret Ruhe (1982). An essay on various aspects of Bahá'í marriage. [about]
    47. Translation list (2009). Index to talks, letters, and other items translated from Persian and Arabic to English by Adib Masumian; listed here for the sake of search engines and tagging. [about]
    48. Unrestrained as the Wind: A Life Dedicated to Bahá'u'lláh (1985). Compilation of quotations on topics of especial interest to Bahá'í youth. [about]
    49. Violence Against Women and Children, by Universal House of Justice, in American Bahá'í (1993). Explains the nature and treatment of all forms of violent oppression against the weak. [about]
    50. Vision of Race Unity: America's Most Challenging Issue, by National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (1991). A formal statement from the US NSA on "the most challenging issue confronting America." [about]
     
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