What : Annual Shab-e Yalda Celebration in Berkeley
Persian Center invites all friends of ISAA to attend another celebration of 'Yalda', the longest night of the year. Persian Center's ANNUAL SHAB-E YALDA Celebration is tonight, FRIDAY, Dec 21st at 7 pm.
Music performances by SHAMS ENSEMBLE & Heydari Ensemble,
Dance performances by Niosha Dance Academy & ROSA,
Fal-e Hafez,
Traditional light dinner with Ash, Ajeel, Anar,and Hendevaneh,
and DJ DANCING with DJ Alireza.
When : Friday, December 21st at 7 pm
Where : GAIA Art Center (http://www.gaiaarts.com)
($3 Validated Parking at Allston Garage on 2061 Allston Way, between Milvia and Shattuck)
Tickets : $20, $10 for student w/valid ID.
For more info call 510-848-0264.
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About Shab-e Yalda
Millions of Iranians all over the world Friday night will celebrate `Yalda', the longest night of the year and the first night of winter as a token of victory of the angel of goodness over the devil of badness and the victory of light over darkness. Shabe Yalda marks the beginning of winter. It is a tradition amongst Iranians that family and friends gather together and stay up throughout the night to cherish the ambience of togetherness.
Nuts and fruits, both fresh and dried, are served on Yalda night. Fruit is the sign of divine blessing. The 6,000-year tradition revives the spirit of affection, kindness and togetherness in families. Since Shabe Yalda is the longest and darkest night, it has come to symbolize many things in both Persian poetry and culture, such as separation from a loved one, loneliness, and waiting. After Shabe Yalda, however, a transformation takes place -- the waiting is over, light shines and goodness prevails, which is a turning point as the days start to grow longer. "With all my pains, there is still the hope of recovery Like the eve of Yalda, there will finally be an end." ~ Sa’adi, Persian poet Yalda, a Syriac word imported into the Persian language by the Syriac Christians means birth and it refer to the birth of sun. Romans called it Natalis Anviktos, the birth of unbeatable. It is a relatively recent arrival and it is also referred to as "Shab-e Cheleh", a celebration of Winter Solstice on December 21st.
In most ancient cultures, including Persia, the start of the solar year has been marked to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and the renewal of the Sun. The Persians adopted their annual renewal festival from the Babylonians and incorporated it into the rituals of their own Zoroastrian religion. The last day of the Persian month Azar is the longest night of the year, when the forces of Ahriman are assumed to be at the peak of their strength. While the next day, the first day of the month "Day" known as "khoram rooz" or "khore rooz" (the day of sun) belongs to Ahuramazda, the Lord of Wisdom. Since the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, this day marks the victory of the rising sun as the symbol of 'Ahuramazda', the Zoroastrian god, over the evil of darkness . The occasion was celebrated in the festival of "Daygan" dedicated to Ahuramazda, on the first day of the month "Day". Ancient Iranians believed that the beginning of the year marked with the re-emergence or rebirth of the sun which coincided with the first day of the month of `Dey' when sun was salvaged from the claws of the devil of darkness and gradually spread its domination over the world. People had developed the idea that the longest night of the year, when the evil of darkness found an opportunity to stay longer, was an inauspicious occasion and, therefore, they would gather together and stay awake the whole night by holding celebrations and lighting fire in order to leave behind the ominous night. They would try to keep the fire lit all through the night and the person in charge of the task was called 'Atropat' or the 'guardian of fire' who used to have a religious rank in ancient Persia. Fires would be burnt all night to ensure the defeat of the forces of Ahriman. There would be feasts, acts of charity and a number of deities were honored and prayers performed to ensure the total victory of sun that was essential for the protection of winter crops. There would be prayers to Mithra (Mehr) and feasts in his honor, since Mithra is the Eyzad responsible for protecting "the light of the early morning", known as "Havangah". It was also assumed that Ahuramazda would grant people's wishes, specially those with no offspring had the hope to be blessed with children if performed all rites on this occasion.
One of the themes of the festival was the temporary subversion of order. Masters and servants reversed roles. The king dressed in white would change place with ordinary people. A mock king was crowned and masquerades spilled into the streets. As the old year died, rules of ordinary living were relaxed. This tradition persisted till Sassanid period, and is mentioned by Biruni and others in their recordings of pre-Islamic rituals and festivals. Its' origin goes back to the Babylonian New Year celebration.
These people believed the first creation was order that came out of chaos. To appreciate and celebrate the first creation they had a festival and all roles were reversed. Disorder and chaos ruled for a day and eventually order was restored and succeeded at the end of the festival.
It is not clear when and how the word "Yalda" entered the Persian language. The massive persecution of the early Christians in Rome brought many Christian refugees into the Sassanid Empire and it is very likely that these Christians introduced and popularized "Yalda" in Iran. Gradually "Shab-e Yalda" and "Shab-e Cheleh" became synonymous and the two are used interchangeably.
With the conquest of Islam the religious significance of the ancient Persian festivals was lost. However, apart from its religious and traditional characteristics, 'Yalda' has long been observed in the Iranian culture as the longest night of the year. Today "Shab-e Cheleh" is merely a social occasion, when family and friends get together for fun and merriment. Different kinds of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh winter fruits are consumed. The presence of dried and fresh fruits is reminiscence of the ancient feasts to celebrate and pray to the deities to ensure the protection of the winter crops. On this night, all members of the family stay together, narrate old stories, play traditional games and eat dried fruits and candies. The fruits that are specially served at this night are sweet melon, water melon, grapes and pomegranates. Fruits are symbol of spring and a summer loaded with agricultural bounties. Pomegranates, placed on top of a fruit basket, are reminders of the cycle of life -- the rebirth and revival of generations. The purple outer covering of a pomegranate symbolizes "birth" or "dawn" and their bright red seeds the "glow of life." Watermelons, apples, grapes, melons and persimmon are other special fruits served on Yalda night and all are symbols of freshness, warmth, love, kindness and happiness. Another tradition that is massively observed on the night of Yalda is reading poems of the highly revered Iranian poet 'Hafez'.
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