Yalda: The Triumph of Light over Darkness

December 21st 2023

Whether it is Yool, Christmas, Hanukkah or Thanksgiving, many people around the world celebrate holidays at or around the Winter Solstice. For many in and around Iran, that holiday is Yalda-Night.

Yalda dates back to antient Persia. Like many other Iranian holidays, it is rooted in the Zoroastrian tradition, which viewed the world as an eternal struggle of the forces of light (Ahura Mazda) and darkness (Ahriman). It marks the darkest and longest night of the year and celebrates the triumph of light over darkness.

Each year families, friends and loved ones get together and stay together through the darkness until the break of dawn. They indulge in poetry, share a meal, tell each other’s fortunes, and crack Pomegranates and Watermelons together. It is a night of joy, community, storytelling, and mysticism. Some of the most memorable moments of my life happened at Yalda. There is a real sense of belonging. 

But since the events of last year there is a dark cloud looming over Yalda-Night. So many families are now celebrating without their loved ones or choose to bring the celebration to their gravestones. Countless families posting pictures of their Yalda Tables full of red apples, pomegranates, dried fruits, and nuts, and now, a picture of a loved one that was taken from them too soon.

Most notably, is the case of Yalda Aghafazli, a 19-year-old girl who committed suicide last year after being detained for participating in the protests. Like many of the protesters who were killed, images and videos of Yalda spread across the internet. In them one can see a young woman so full of life and energy, clips of her joking around with friends and especially a voice message in which she recounts to friends how she was asked by an interrogator whether she regretted her actions, to which she responds with a confident and resounding “No!” captured many people’s imagination.

Now on Yalda night 2023 many families keep the memories of Yalda and others alive. They carry on and keep on living, but they never forget.