The winter solstice may mark the longest night of the year, but for Iranians, it’s also known as Shab-e Yalda, a celebration with ancient ties that commemorates the triumph of Mithra, the Sun God, over darkness. “This is part of Iranian tradition where evil will run havoc on the longest night of the year,” he said.

What do Iranian do in Nowruz?

Iranians spend the night of Nowruz with their family. The traditional new year dinner is white fish with rice and herbs. Many families give a money gift (called eidi) to the children to mark the new year. People often visit each other’s homes and always bring traditional gifts.

How do you honor the winter solstice?

Here are some customary ways to celebrate the solstice—you might notice that some resemble beloved Christmas traditions.

1. Build a Yule Altar.
2. Make an Evergreen Yule Wreath.
3. Burn a Yule Log.
4. Decorate a Yule Tree.
5. Exchange Nature-Based Gifts.
6. Give Back to Nature.
7. Celebrate in Candlelight.
8. Set up a Meditation Space.

Which is the Persian winter solstice Festival?

The Persian festival Yalda, or Shab-e Yalda is a celebration of the winter solstice in Iran that started in ancient times. Yalda is viewed traditionally as the victory of light over dark, and the birthday of the sun god Mithra.

What do you say on Yalda?

Yalda is a night full of hope for the future and happiness for the young and old. َThere is a saying in Farsi that goes something like this: I wish you a long and happy life like Shabe Yalda, sweet as watermelon and fruitful as pomegranates! Shabe Yalda mobarak!!

Is Nowruz a religious holiday?

Though it is a largely secular celebration, it is often associated with and influenced by Zoroastrianism and Parsiism, in which Nowruz is a religious holiday. The festival is celebrated in many countries with significant Persian cultural influence, including Iran, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, and much of Central Asia.

What are winter solstice traditions?

How To Celebrate The Winter Solstice

• Decorate an Outdoor Edible Tree for the Animals.
• Make Winter Solstice Lanterns.
• Read Winter Solstice Books.
• Make Orange Pomanders.
• Spend The Night By Candlelight.
• Make Some Wassail.
• Reflect, Release, Let Go, and Set Intentions For The New Season.

What does the winter solstice mean spiritually?

The light of the Sun begins a new solar cycle at Winter Solstice. In winter everything lies dormant in the silent earth, it is a sacred time of rest and reflection before the awakening and the slow build toward brighter days. The energy of winter is that of going within.

How is the winter solstice celebrated in Iran?

In some parts of Iran the winter solstice is celebrated in a special manner. Watermelons are saved from the summer and hung in a protected place. On the longest night of the year, called “Shab-e Yalda”, family and friends stay up all night, tell stories and eat the watermelons.

What is the longest night of the year in Iran?

TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (MNA) – Yalda is one of the most celebrated traditional events in Iran which marks the longest night of the year, that is, in the night of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice. Ali Akbar Dehkhoda defines Chelleh (Night of Forty) or Yalda as “the longest night of the year that Iranians consider it auspicious.

How did the Hopi celebrate the winter solstice?

For the Hopi people (northern Arizona), the winter solstice ceremony known as Soyal begins on the shortest day of the year. During this 16-day celebration, Hopi welcome kachinas – protective spirits who come down from the mountains – with singing, chanting, dancing and prayers (Dorsey and Voth 1901).

What is the hibernal solstice and why does it matter?

Marking the longest night and shortest day of the year, the hibernal solstice is an astronomical event that takes place when the Earth reaches its maximum tilt on its axis away from the sun. (At the same time, residents of the Southern Hemisphere are enjoying their longest day and shortest night).