Iranians consider Yalda night very sacred and important and celebrate it in any way.
For several thousand years, the last night of autumn, Yalda night, which is the darkest and longest night of the year, has been celebrated by Persian people.
Yalda Night is the longest night of the year, which is the time between sunset from 30 Azar (December 20), the last day of autumn in Iran, to sunrise the next day, the first day of winter.
Yalda night is named after the birth of the sun.
This night coincides with the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
Yalda is derived from a Syriac word meaning birth. Syriac has been the common language of Christians in old times, according to the history books.
It is not clear exactly how and when the word Yalda entered the Persian language. History has shown that the early Christians living in Rome suffered greatly. At the same time, some of them decide to immigrate to Iran, and due to the closeness of cultures, this Syriac word finds its way into Persian.
Many archaeologists have proposed the date of Yalda night seven thousand years ago. Because the symbols of the Iranian months such as Scorpio and Aries have been painted inside ancient dishes.
Of course, archeological discoveries and inscriptions are rare, but archaeologists believe that the ritual of Yalda night is as far back as 7000 years ago.
With all these interpretations, what is known as Yalda night dates back to 500 BC, and its date of entry into the official calendar of the ancient Iranians dates back to the time of Darius I, a calendar that includes the Egyptian and Babylonian chronicles.
Yalda Night Traditions, From Ancient till Today
According to ancient tales, on the night after Yalda, the Persian kings would have laid down the royal throne and would go to the desert in white clothes and sit on the white carpet. The guards, gatekeepers of the royal palace go to the city and all the servants and slaves would be liberated for one night. They would all celebrate the night as equal, regardless of being chief or the king or the common people. Of course, the truth of this statement has not been proven, which may not be just a myth.
Nowadays, Yalda night is celebrated by Iranians with relatives and families spending the night together.
As family members gather on this important night, the elderly members of the family begin to tell ancient stories while eating watermelons, nuts, pomegranates, sweets, and various fruits which are all symbolic aspects of the celebration.
Interesting Symbols in The Ancient Persia
Most of these fruits (watermelon and pomegranate) have many seeds and are considered symbols of fertility. They have a kind of contagious magic that locals used to increase their fertility by resorting to their blessing and because of their red color, they represent the sun, at night. But now, they eat the fruits just as a tradition and because they are delicious.
Reading the poems of Hafez Shirazi, a prominent Iranian poet, is another tradition on Yalda night.
These are the pictures my friends sent me as their Yalda Night tables this year. I'll write a separate article on that topic later.
