Shabe Yalda 2018 Orange County_ Yalda Celebration in Orange County – Irvine, CA Saturday, December — Special Performance by Alireza Khamseh & Ehsan Karami.
Shab-e Yalda, or Shab-e Chelleh, is an Iranian winter solstice festival celebrated on the year’s longest and darkest night. Consequently, it falls on December 20/21. That is to say, it’s a time for family and friends to gather, eat, drink, and enjoy poetry. In other words, they relish Hafez’s verses well into the night. Moreover, the festivities include eating fruits and nuts. For instance, pomegranates and watermelons hold special significance. Above all, their red color symbolizes the dawn’s crimson hues and the vitality of life.
In addition, people recite poems from Divan-e Hafez. Firstly, this is a common fixture on Iranian bookshelves. Secondly, they do this during various occasions, including this festival and Nowruz. After that, in 2008, Shab-e Yalda was officially added to Iran’s List of National Treasures in a special ceremony. Similarly, it became a cherished cultural heritage. In conclusion, Shab-e Yalda brings people together to celebrate the winter solstice, emphasizing unity and tradition. To sum up, it’s a time of joy and connection, in short, a celebration of Iranian culture.
Shabe Yalda 2018
- The longest, darkest night signifies the start of winter’s initial 40-day period known as “Chelleh” or “fortieth”.
- Three 40-day periods exist: one in summer and two in winter.
- The winter periods include the “great Chelleh” (1-11 Bahman) followed by “small Chelleh” (10-30 Bahman).
- Shab-e Chelleh begins the “big Chelleh” period, marking the transition from autumn to winter.
- ‘Yaldā,’ another name, comes from Syriac-speaking Christians who settled in the region in the 1st–3rd centuries.
- Western Iranians learned Christian Yalda, similar to Christmas, from these Christians.
- The term ‘Shab-e Yalda’ gradually became synonymous with ‘Shab-e Chelleh’ in Persian.
- ‘Yalda’ may be related to the Old Norse ‘jól’ or Old English ‘geōl’ (yule), meaning ‘dark night’.
