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Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda)
The longest night of the year — a Persian celebration of the triumph of light over darkness.
📅 December 21
✦ Why It Matters
Yalda ('birth') is the ancient Persian winter solstice celebration — the birth of Mithra, the sun god. Families gather all night to ensure the lonely sun is not abandoned. From this night, light grows stronger.
✦ How It Is Observed
Families stay awake all night together, reading Hafez's poetry (Fal-e Hafez for prophecy), eating pomegranates (red = the crimson hue of dawn), watermelon, nuts, dried fruits.
✦ Sacred Text
“The dark night, the fear of the waves, the terrible whirlpool — how could those on shore, with their light burdens, know our state?”
— Hafez, Divan ↗