7 Simple Steps to Celebrate Yalda Night Like an Iranian

Updated: 8 July 2019

You might be busy Christmas shopping this month, but Iranians are busy preparing for another holiday just a few days before- Shab-e Yalda, or Yalda Night, an ancient Zoroastrian tradition. Here’s everything you need to know about Yalda Night, including how you can join the fun and celebrate it just like an Iranian. 

The Wh-s of Yalda

What is Yalda Night? 

The winter solstice and longest night of the year. This is the night when Iranians swap sweet slumber for spending time with family and friends and getting a hearty annual dose of Persian literature. 

Where do they celebrate it? 

Other than Iran, Yalda is observed in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

When do they celebrate it? 

On the last night of autumn. On the Iranian calendar, this would be the last day of the month of Azar, coinciding with December 21st. 

And finally, why is it a special occasion?

Yalda Night, or shab-e chelleh as it’s also called, stems from Zoroastrianism and means “birth” in Syriac. Because days will slowly start to become longer after Yalda, it’s a celebration of the birth of the sun as a symbol of light conquering darkness, good conquering evil. In Persian poetry, shab-e Yalda has come to symbolize things like loneliness, waiting, and separation from a loved one. The same way that light triumphs over darkness, waiting and loneliness are over, and goodness prevails.

They say the customs associated with Yalda Night in ancient times were intended to protect people from evil during the longest night.

So here are your 7 simple steps to celebrate Yalda like an Iranian. 

1. Set the table

Traditionally, the table is a corsi, a short wooden table with a small (and regulated) charcoal fire underneath (although nowadays, they use an electric heater) and covered with thick quilts and blankets. You sit around this table, pulling the blanket up over you and stretching your legs out under it. The first winter I ever visited Iran, my grandmother made one, and it’s so unbelievably warm and cozy that once you curl up underneath it, nothing could possibly pull you out! (And funnily enough, the first time I actually ever experienced the corsi was in Japan. My parents always told us stories about it, but I had never seen one until the winter I visited a friend in Japan. We would eat meals around the kotatsu, and after dinner every night, my friend’s dad would pass out right there! I love finding out about these similarities across cultures!) 

But if you can experience the corsi at all, consider yourself lucky because these days it’s sadly become an endangered part of Iranian culture. At any rate, you need a table to set everything on. Your coffee table will do.

2. Munch on red fruits, âjeel, and khoshkbâr

The key here is red fruits, specifically watermelon and pomegranate. Eating watermelon is supposed to immunize you from catching winter colds and also keep you nice and cool from the scorching summer heat soon to come. Pomegranate rind is symbolic of birth or the crimson dawn while the ruby seeds symbolize the glow of life. While persimmon, apples, and other fall fruit may also grace the table, watermelon and pomegranate (sprinkled with golpar– Persian hogweed- if you like) are your chief fruits. 

You’ll also want to be sure you’re well-stocked on âjeel (nuts) and khoshkbâr (dried fruit) to snack on throughout the night. In the days leading up to Yalda, business will be booming in stores like Tavazo in Tehran. They say eating nuts on this night leads to prosperity! Here’s to hoping.

3. Get divine guidance from Hafez 

It’s tradition to seek divination from the great master on Yalda. So close your eyes, ask a question, open Divan-e Hafez at random, and read and interpret the poem. We call this fâl-e Hafez in Persian. 

While you’re at it, read up on other works of Persian literature, like your favorite legend from the Shahnameh or tales of Khosrow and Shirin or Leili and Majnun. 

4. Feast on Persian dishes

The normal state of an Iranian dining table provides enough food to feed a small army. So you can imagine that a celebration calls for bokhor bokhor (a chow down)! And on Yalda, âsh reshteh is a must! This thick bean and noodle soup is topped with kashk (a whey product) and yummy fried onions and mint. Other dishes depend on the region. People in the north might prepare herb rice with fish while in other places it might be fesenjoon, the wonderfully tangy pomegranate-walnut stew.

5. Sip bottomless glasses of tea

The longest night of the year calls for glass after glass of cardamom-infused Persian tea! Go ahead and cozy it up by preparing it in a traditional samovar. 

6. Enjoy time with your family and friends

Consider Yalda the Iranians’ belated Thanksgiving. Give thanks for being surrounded by your loved ones, express gratitude for the previous year’s blessings, and say a little prayer for health and prosperity in the coming year. 

7. Stay up until the wee hours

Why is Yalda not a national holiday? Who knows! Regardless, stay up as late as you possibly can. This year Yalda falls on Friday night- great news for those of you outside Iran. But for those of us in Iran, Friday is our Sunday, meaning Saturday is the start of the work week. Not to worry, though, as everyone else is also sure to stroll into work rubbing their eyes on Saturday morning. That tea brewing on the samovar will come in handy!

And here’s a bonus 8th step/insider’s tip for folks in Tehran:

Prepare for heavy- I mean HEAVY- traffic and a shortage of taxis. If you’re invited anywhere, plan to leave a good 3 hours in advance (if not more). Otherwise, you might as well forget it. I made this mistake my first year when a friend invited me to join her family. I tried to leave after work around 7pm, but there was no taxi available anywhere I called. And then I realized why. The highways were ghofl (utterly gridlocked). And so I called my friend to give my apologies and thank her for the invitation. Around 11 pm, I had Yalda delivered to my door. Traffic had subsided, and my friend’s grandmother had sent me âsh reshteh, âjeel, and pomegranates topped with golpar. Now that’s what I call Persian hospitality. 

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