The Yalda Night is one of the oldest ritual and ceremonies of Iranians, that celebrated every year on the first night of the winter. In the past, Iranians have had many celebrations and traditions and they were happiest people in the world. Celebrations like Mehregan, Nowruz, Yalda Night, Tirgan,Sadah ,Syri and dozens of other celebrations, including such celebrations, only celebration of Nowruz and Yalda Night Celebration from the past to this day are being celebrated now in Iran. Iranians have long been celebrating the first night of the winter, the longest night of the year, and enjoying it. In this article, we are going to introduce you to this beautiful ritual left in ancient times and to carefully study the customs and customs related to the Yalda Night.
Yalda Night History
Yalda means birth and has a root in “Syriac” language. This night, which has been added to the Iranian calendar since about 500 BC (about 2,500 years ago), is a long tradition, where the first night of the winter is celebrated. Many myths and stories have been left in many different languages about the Yalda Night, the most famous of which is the story that narrates on the night of Yalda, the longest night of the year, The Ahura Mazdathe defeated The Devil and the darkness and this is why they are happy to celebrate this night by turning on the fire.
From the past until now, people have been celebrating and burning the fire this night, and because of long years of ancient religion, some of its traditions and customs have been forgotten and replaced by some of the new rituals. It has nothing to do with the Iranians celebration and has been added over time. However, the Yalda night has been given a special status with the Persians. After many years of its commemoration, the Iranians still viewed this night as a great celebration, and in their calendar, it is a day to celebrate.
Reading Hafez poems has special place among Iranians
Yalda Night traditions
As mentioned, the Yalda celebration was one of the most important celebrations of Persians and has a special place among Iranians. This importance has been around for many years and various Iranian people celebrate this celebration. it is evident that each nation has added some customs to the ritual of the festival in accordance with the culture and geography of its place of residence. In addition to Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are among the most important countries to celebrate the Yalda Night .
In Iran, due to the geographical extent, the Yalda night is celebrated in different regions in different forms and rituals. But what is practiced in almost all Iranian ethnic groups is almost everyone, such as gathering elders in the house in one place, celebration, eating autumn fruits like pomegranates, preparing Yalda night watermelon, taking Hafez’s feast, dining table Special arrangement, preparation of various types of sweets and nuts for guests, special celebrations for the new bride of the family and other celebrations of this kind. But as mentioned above, it is obvious that there are some ceremonies that are specific to a particular ethnic group or geographic region, and other tribes are not aware of it.
Pomegranate is one of Yalda’s night specialties.
In Khorasan, people on the night of Yalda turned their attention to special “Valentine’s Day”, and they specially packed it during a special celebration and celebrated the Yalda Night. Another ceremony that was held this night in Khorasan was the ceremony of Shahnameh, where elders of the party were engaged in songwriting and reading Shahnameh. Also, in the southern parts of Khorasan, this evening, They will celebrate the feast with two tears and three tears. One of the other foods that grows in Khorasan on the night of Yalda is “Baked Butter”, which is a very popular beet.
One of the most important of Yalda’s nightlife is the new bride’s house, which is decorated in a different way depending on the region’s culture in each city. For example, the people of Azerbaijan decorate the bridal veil of Yalda with watermelons and red shawls, and the people of the north benefit from the decorating of the fish for this. Since in the past the meeting between the bride and groom was much more difficult than today, the gift and the bride’s gift from the bridegroom was one of the ceremonies the bride and groom could meet. For this reason, the ceremony has enjoyed a special status among the bride and groom.
Sort of bride Kange
The snacks consumed this night have a direct connection to the local geography where the Yalda Night is celebrated, and each city and region will be celebrating the fruits there in that season. For example, in the Kurdistan dining table, you can see snacks like Dolma and Sangak bread, and you can see sweets such as Matt and Kasmak at the Golestani dining table. Ranginak and dates are among the sweets that Shiraz put on Yalda dining table and used in Hamedan raisins and mousse as nuts.
Setting a dining table for Yalda
As mentioned above, the Yalda dining table has a special significance for the Iranian tribes, and it seems that this dining table is rooted in the newly-erected newlyweds. In the past, they only decorated the Yalda night piece for the gift of the bride, dining table and watch, and presented to the bride. But over time, these traditions are drawn to families with no new bride and groom, and many people, like the Norouz dining table, decorate the Yalda dining table. The dining table is one of the arts that is taught in many schools and is very important. The Yalda dining table should be beautiful and include all the typical snacks of the area.
Usually, Yalda’s dining table is decorated by mothers or daughters, and in addition to putting different edges in it, they also multiply the beauty and special effect by placing flowers, napkins and decorative objects. But what is important in the Yalda dining table is pomegranate. Usually, in different cities, pomegranate is poured and placed in beautiful dishes around the table to allow guests to eat it with salt and glacier. Usually, at night, Yalda has dinner table with traditional food or Pale Fish, and each region adds some food to its culture.
Yalda Night dining table with simple decorations
Yalda Night date in Iran and other countries
The date of the Yalda night is exactly the same on the night of the 30 of Azar each year, which is equal to December 21, 2017 and 2 Rabi al-Thani in 1439 Lunar. Since many of our compatriots celebrate this night in different countries, they may not remember the exact date of this special ceremony. For this reason, it should be noted that the Yalda Night is celebrated this year on the dates mentioned above and should be celebrated this night especially at these dates. The enthusiasts can also use the Stickers made for the Telegram application to congratulate Yalda’s Night.