Yaldā Night
yaldā night persian شب یلدا shabe yalda chelle night also chellah night persian شب چلّه shabe chelle ancient festival iran afghanistan azerbaijan tajikistan iraqi kurdistan uzbekistan turkmenistan dagestan turkey celebrated winter solstice corresponds night december ± gregorian calendar night last day ninth month azar first day tenth month dey iranian solar calendar festival celebrated iran region greater iran including azerbaijan iraqi kurdistan balochi area afghanistan tajikistan longest darkest night year time friend family gather together eat drink read poetry especially hafez shahnameh well midnight fruit nut eaten pomegranate watermelon particularly significant red color fruit symbolizes crimson hue dawn glow life poem divane hafez found bookcase iranian family read recited various occasion festival nowruz shabe yalda officially added iran list national treasure special ceremony longest darkest night year mark night opening initial fortyday period threemonth winter name chelleh fortieth derives together three day period one summer two winter two winter period known great chelleh period day bahman full day followedoverlapped small chelleh period bahman bahman day night night day shabe chelleh night opening big chelleh period night last day autumn first day winter name festival yaldā ultimately borrowing syriacspeaking christian according dehkhoda yalda syriac word meaning birthday people adapted yalda night nativity messiah called name however celebration christmas noël established december set birthday jesus yalda beginning winter last night autumn longest night year first century significant number eastern christian settled parthian sasanian territory received protection religious persecution iranian ie parthian persian etc came contact christian religious observance including seems nestorian christian yalda syriac middle aramaic dialect literally mean birth religious context also syriac christian proper name christmas which—because fell nine month annunciation—was celebrated eve winter solstice christian festival name passed nonchristian neighbor although clear syriac term borrowed persian gradually shabe yalda shabe chelleh became synonymous two used interchangeably yalda night one holy night ancient iran included official calendar iranian achaemenid empire least bc darius many modern festivity custom remain unchanged period ancient people aryan indoeuropeans well attuned natural phenomenon changing season daily activity dictated availability sunlight crop impacted climate weather found shortest day last day autumn first night winter immediately day gradually become longer night shorter winter solstice longest night called night sun’s birth mehr considered mark beginning year iranian persian calendar founded framed hakim omar khayyam history persian calendar initially point back time region modernday persia celebrated new year according zoroastrian calendar zoroastrianism main religion region year consisted exactly day distributed among twelve month day plus five special month less day known popularly ‘stolen ones’ religious parlance ‘five gatha day creation solar hijri calendar jalali calendar put place order sulṭān jalāl aldīn malikshāhi saljūqī th c ah according biographical encyclopedia astronomer “after death yazdigird iii last king sassanid dynasty yazdigirdī calendar solar one gradually lost position hijrī calendar replaced it” yalda night celebrated winter solstice longest darkest night year zoroastrian tradition longest darkest night year particularly inauspicious day practice known shabe chellehyalda originally custom intended protect people evil see dew long night time evil force ahriman imagined peak people advised stay awake night lest misfortune befall people would gather safety group friend relative share last remaining fruit summer find way pas long night together good company next day ie first day dae month day celebration least th century recorded albiruni festival first day dae month known ḵorramruz joyful day navadruz ninety day left nowruz although religious significance long dark night lost old tradition staying late company friend family retained iranian culture present day reference older festival held around winter solstice known middle persian text well text early islamic period th century albiruni mention midyear festival maidyarem gahanbar ran dae festival generally assumed originally winter solstice gradually shifted introduction intercalationcf albiruni also record adar jashan festival fire celebrated intersection adar day th adar month th last autumn month probably fire festival called shahrevaragan shahrivar day shahrivar month marked beginning winter tokarestan journalist hashem razi theorized mehregan — dayname festival mithra preislamic time celebrated autumn equinox today still celebrated autumn — early islamic time shifted winter solstice razi based hypothesis fact poetry early islamic era refers mihragan connection snow cold razis theory significant following internet razis documentation academically accepted adduction sufism chella day period retreat fasting also unrelated winter solstice festival food play central role presentday form celebration part iran extended family come together enjoy fine dinner wide variety fruit sweetmeat specifically prepared kept night served food common celebration include watermelon pomegranate nut dried fruit item commonly placed korsi people sit around area custom forty variety edible served ceremony night chelleh lighthearted superstition run high night chelleh superstition however primarily associated consumption instance believed consuming watermelon night chelleh ensure health wellbeing individual month summer protecting falling victim excessive heat disease produced hot humor khorasan belief whoever eats carrot pear pomegranate green olive protected harmful bite insect especially scorpion eating garlic night protects one pain joint khorasan one attractive ceremony still preparing kafbikh kind traditional iranian sweet made khorasan specially city gonabad birjand made yalda dinner older individual entertain others telling tale anecdote another favorite prevalent pastime night chelleh fāle ḥāfeẓ divination using dīvān hafez ie bibliomancy believed one divine dīvān hafez three time however poet may get angry activity common festival include staying past midnight conversation drinking reading poem loud telling story joke dancing prior invention prevalence electricity decorating lighting house yard candle also part tradition continued tradition another tradition giving dried fruit nut gift family friend specially bride wrapped tulle tied ribbon similar wedding shower party favor khorasan giving gift bride obligatory storyline iranian film yalda night forgiveness based actual toprating iranian reality television show actually aired ramadan film dramatic licence aired yalda night film young woman convicted murder pleads daughter victim grant forgiveness save death penalty dongzhi solar term hanukkah mehregan nowruz medium related yalda night wikimedia common čella encyclopædia iranica article yalda night irpersiatour website