A new official Web site has been launched by the Bahá'í International Community to provide an introduction to the Bahá'í Faith for general inquirers, researchers, and journalists. The site, titled "The Bahá'ís " is also a portal to the family of official Web sites of the Baha'i International Community. This site at http://bahai.org replaces the previous site at the same address, "The Bahá'í World," as the main official site of the Bahá'í Faith on the Internet. The content of "The Bahá'í World" will continue to be available as the "Bahá'í Topics: An Information Resource," at http://info.bahai.org.
The new site gives visitors concise initial summaries of aspects of the Faith. It also provides access to the latest Bahá'í news and feature stories. The inclusive feel of the site demonstrates the Baha'i belief that the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are for everyone and not just those who have joined the Faith. Those who read about the current main activities will see that all are welcome to participate in them, whether they be study circles, children's classes, or devotional meetings.
From Bahá'í World News Service
The site for new House of Worship just outside Santiago, Chile, with model superimposed.
Pippa Cookson writes:
This year Orthodox Easter coincided with May Day, so the weekend went - Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - Easter celebrations, spiritual - and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - May Day / Labour Day celebrations, secular. Macedonians believe in celebrating everything they can possibly think of! One of the Easter celebrations is to colour and decorate hard-boiled eggs, mostly red, but other colours too. These are taken to the church for the service late on Saturday night, and then when Sunday arrives, and the priest says "Christ is risen", the people play a game like conkers with the eggs, to see whose is the strongest!
The weather was sunny and mild, and it was that peak of spring when all the trees come into leaf - the limes along the main road in the centre were in full glory; the birches along the edge of the lake swayed with long blonde catkins. In the little gardens by the port the roses, cut down to 6-inch sticks a month before, were a mass of new shoots, bronze or green. The grass had its first cut in preparation for the weekend. The swallows wave-hopped over the sparkling deep turquoise water, or re-built their nests in corners of water-side buildings.
The mountains either side of the lake were being overtaken by a green tide of new leaves, which crept up slowly over the bare brown trees higher up. On the highest mountains the snow was disappearing, even on big Galichitsa, where a month ago they had to dig out the road to the summer village, and cars travelled between walls of snow six metres high in places. On Thursday morning I saw two big new coaches from Skopje unload their passengers, and I happened also to see them return at the end of the afternoon to pick them up. I thought of those people going back after only a few hours, perhaps with memories to treasure, while I live in this beautiful place. Being a pioneer isn't all hard struggle!
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