Yalda



Yalda, The longest night of the year ends autumn and welcomes winter. The traditional Yalda is coming out of ancient Iranian culture, even before Islam.
People used to be together such a private party of the family, not so many people, who may make the party crowded. They celebrate, beginning of winter, eat, drink, chat and read some poems of Hafez. So, as a matter of fact, after Yalda, good wishes has to be come true, and if you listen to Hafez carefully, you will receive really good advises, just if you have started by good willing.

Out of season watermelon could be finding in the market all over Iran. The favorite fruit of Yalda night is a part of Yalda feast, and everybody has to take one slice of it. Grandmothers used to recount stories for the children to take them back to the past and let the tradition survive.
This Yalda I compare it with Christmas night in Carrara, Italy that I expend two times with Italian family on 2000 and 2001. The most common item is firstly, a big variation of eating items for Christmas night and Yalda, and secondly, is holding just a family party. The third similarity is the duration of the party which starts from evening and takes up to late night, early morning.





Yalda, a Syrian word imported into the Persian language by the Syrian Christians means birth (tavalud and melaad are from the same origin). It is a relatively recent arrival and it was very likely refereed to the birth of Jesus Christ (Melaad e Massih) in the past. It is used interchangeably with �Shab e Cheleh�, a Zoroastrian celebration of Winter Solstice around December 21st. Forty days before the next Persian festival �Jashn e Sadeh�: this night has been celebrated in countless cultures for thousands of years. The ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia (God of Agriculture, Saturn) and Sol Invicta (Sun God) are amongst the best known in the Western world.
In most ancient cultures, including Persia, the start of the solar year has been marked to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and the renewal of the Sun.
The Persians adopted their annual renewal festival from the Babylonians and incorporated it into the rituals of their own Zoroastrian religion. The last day of the Persian month Azar is the longest night of the year, when the forces of Ahriman are assumed to be at the peak of their strength. While the next day, the first day of the month �Day� known as �khoram rooz� or �khore rooz� (the day of sun) belongs to Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom. Since the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, this day marks the victory of Sun over the darkness. The occasion was celebrated in the festival of �Daygan� dedicated to Ahura Mazda, on the first day of the month �Day�.



With the conquest of Islam the religious significance of both Christmas and the ancient Persian festival was lost. Today �Shab e Cheleh� is merely a social occasion, when family and friends get together for fun and merriment. Different kinds of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh winter fruits are consumed. The presence of dried and fresh fruits is reminiscence of the ancient feasts to celebrate and pray to the deities to ensure the protection of the winter crops. Medieval poetry from Hafez is read and fortunes are sought through the interpretation of his poems. This extremely popular poet lived in the 14th century, his poetry is found in almost every household. It is a tradition to make a wish, then open a page randomly and start reading the first poem on that page.
Interpretations of the poem are used to decide whether the wish will come true or not. Before the coming of TV and other mass media it was customary for the grandparents to tell popular old stories to their grandchildren on this night.
Family members gathered around and under a uniquely designed short wooden table covered with large quilts and blankets. A small charcoal fire was prepared in a fire resistant open container with ashes on top to regulate and control the burning charcoal. This was placed under the table and all members would curl under, kept warm even ate and slept there. The table is called �corsi� and was very popular till recently. Electricity and more efficient heating systems have eliminated corsi as a heating alternative. However many traditional families still use modern electrical versions of it and the tradition is kept alive. Curling under corsi, listening to grandparents telling ancient and magical stories eating fruits, nuts etc. is associated with shab e cheleh and was part of every Iranian�s growing up memories till recently.

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