The Bahá'í Fast is a nineteen-day period of abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, observed annually from March 2 to 20 . It coincides with the final month of the Bahá'í calendar, 'Alá (meaning "Loftiness"), and immediately precedes the Bahá'í New Year, Naw-Rúz . Bahá'u'lláh ordained the fast for believers between the ages of 15 and 70, though exemptions are granted for the ill, travelers, pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, and those engaged in heavy labor . Far from being merely a physical exercise, the fast is described as a time of prayer, meditation, and spiritual rejuvenation a period for refreshing the soul and detaching oneself from selfish desires .