By Majid Kamrani
Yalda is the last night of fall in the Persian calendar and the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. To celebrate the occasion, Iranians get together in groups of relatives or friends to cheer and chatter, eat fruits and nuts and recite poems until dawn.
Yalda means birth in Persian. In ancient mythology, it is believed that the Persian god of light and truth was born the morning after the longest night of the year to rid the world of darkness and wash away unpleasant experiences.
This tradition is marked in Iran and across the Persian-speaking communities in several other countries, including Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Iranians have been celebrating Yalda Night for centuries as a reminder that every minute counts to share their moments with their loved ones. And this beautiful message is one reason why the ancient tradition has now been added to the UNESCO list of cultural heritage.
Iranians have for three millennia stayed up on the longest, darkest and coldest night of the year, marking the occasion with beautiful long-held traditions; and now Yalda Night is officially registered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a cultural heritage shared by Iran and Afghanistan.
As a multicultural nomination file, Yaldā/Chella was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, during the 17th Session of Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The session was held in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, between November 28 and December 3, 2022. Accordingly, the number of Iran’s cultural elements inscribed on lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage reached 19.
Yaldā/Chella is an extremely popular traditional celebration of the sun and the warmth of life among Iranians. During the Yaldā/Chella night, People in Iran and Afghanistan typically gather around a table at the houses of their elders, which is deliberately adorned with some symbolic foods and objects. It consists of a lamp symbolizing the light, water to indicate cleanliness, and fruits like pomegranates, watermelons, beetroots, jujube and grapes, which are usually red, in order to symbolize warmth. In addition, they set some broth, sweets, dried fruits and nuts on the table to be used by the families during their gathering. Storytelling, playing games and traditional musical instruments, reciting poetry and presenting gifts are among the most significant activities for the occasion.
Celebrating Yalda Night represents Iranians’ respect for their cultural identity, nature, women, friendship, cultural diversity, hospitality and living in peace against all differences. The culture of celebrating Yaldā and its deep meaning for Iran and Afghanistan’s people are transmitted within families, while the media has played a main role in recent years in its recognition. Yalda Night was previously inscribed on the National Heritage List in 2008.
The night of the 21st of December is considered as the longest night on the Iranian calendar and is called Yalda Night.
•Kamrani is cultural consular, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Nigeria
