Every year, around December 21st, millions of people celebrate Shab-e Yalda. What is it exactly?
Shab-e Yalda is an ancestral Persian feast that marks the winter solstice, that is to say the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. It is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and within the Persian diasporas around the world. More than an astronomical landmark, Yalda is a symbolic celebration of the passage from shadow to light.
Because it marks a threshold. In ancient traditions, it was believed that the longest night concentrated the forces of darkness. Crossing Yalda awake, surrounded by loved ones, was a way to assert trust in the return of light.
From this night, the days begin to imperceptibly lengthen again. Yalda therefore symbolizes the rebirth of the sun, but also hope, the continuity of life and the victory of day over night.
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