YaldÄ
The Yalda Night (Persian شب يلدا, DMG Sab -e Yalda ) is one of the four great ancient Persian festivals of the Indo-Iranian cultural area that are committed in accordance with the Iranian solar calendar. It is the night of the winter solstice before the first Dey tag ( دى ), so the night from 21 to 22 December ( in leap years the night from 20th to 21 December ) - the longest night of the year. The festival is one of the most important festivals of Zoroastrianism, but is also celebrated by the now majority Muslim peoples of the Iranian culture circle and Central Asia.
Name and history
Yalda is originally an Aramaic word meaning "birth". In Iranian culture Yalda is understood as the birth of light or solar deity Mithra.
The Yalda Night is also sealed Elle Night ( شب چله ), literally "Night of the forty -day period" called.
As part of Mithraism the festival came as the " Festival of Light " by legionaries in the Roman Empire. Some Christian historians believe that Christmas is a further development of this festival. By the 4th century was in ancient Rome on the 21st day of the twelfth month of the Julian calendar ( the first day of the tenth month of the Iranian calendar), that held the Mithraic feast in honor of the birth of light in December. With the takeover of Christianity as the state religion of this biggest festival in ancient Rome was rededicated by the Church in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Similar solstice celebrations are also handed down by the Celts and Teutons (see Yule ).
Customs
In the Yalda Night to friends and relatives come together in the homes of elders, where they celebrate the night together. Traditionally, on this occasion especially melons, pomegranates, red grapes conserved mentioned airtight clay bowls in Kongina ( کنگينه ) and eaten dried fruit. Mostly you sit around the Korsi and reads from the divan of Persian poet Hafez. This is the Fal -e Hafez ( فال حافظ ), ie a kind of oracle or divination based survey of Hafez poems.
Another custom is the lighting of a large fire, which represents light and hope. The people are happy that the light is reborn and be willing to match the darkness, because after the Yalda Night, the days are getting longer.
In the ancient Persian tradition of the ruling came down in the Yalda Night from the throne and went into the desert. He sent servants and guards on vacation and went to a village to spend the night with simple peasants and listen to them.
The Yalda Night in poetry
The Yalda Night has inspired many poems Persian poets, including Onsuri, Nāsir -i Chusrau, Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Hafiz, Saadi, and Jami. Two examples:
خلوت دل نیست جای صحبت اضداد صحبت حکام ظلمت شب یلداست دیو چو بیرون رود فرشته درآید نور ز خورشید جوی بو که برآید
[ ... ] The heart is not for opponents, because it seems That when a devil is an angel come. The oppressor, Rath in eclipses, 1 You pray that the light of the sun, they shall come. [ ... ]
( 1) Joseph von Hammer- Purgstall here translated as " darkness " Yalda night.
روز رویش چو برانداخت نقاب شب زلف گویی از روی قیامت شب یلدا برخاست
[ ... ] The sight of you each morning is a New Year. Every night you depart, is the eve of Yalda. [ ... ]