Iranian and Farsi-speaking communities within the area celebrated Yalda Night, the longest evening of the 12 months within the northern hemisphere, on Sunday with a time-honored custom centered on unity, poetry and hope.
This historical pageant, referred to as Yalda or Shabeh Chere, marks the tip of autumn and the symbolic victory of sunshine over darkness.
Families and mates collect till midnight to share fruits, nuts, and sweets, recite the poems of the well-known Persian poet Hafez, and replicate on the which means of the evening.
The phrase Yalda means “delivery” in Persian and is rooted in historical mythology that marks the delivery of the God of Light and Truth after the longest evening of the 12 months.
This thousand-year-old custom is acknowledged by UNESCO as a part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity and is widely known not solely in Iran, but additionally amongst Persian-speaking communities in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Turkey.
In Iran, from Tehran to small cities, a festive environment is seen in bustling markets, the place buyers put together yalda tables adorned with pomegranates and watermelons, symbols of fertility and the solar.
In completely different areas of Iran, folks observe completely different customs and traditions to have fun the evening of Yalda, creating lasting reminiscences for everybody on the longest evening of the 12 months. The Iranian authorities has additionally determined to delay the beginning of labor in authorities workplaces by two hours in order that individuals who keep up late for the Yalda pageant won’t have to fret about engaged on the primary day of winter.