The night the light returns
Yalda falls on the winter solstice, the longest and darkest night of the year. In ancient Iran it was a night to stay awake together and keep away the darkness, because from the next morning the days begin to grow longer again. Its other name, Shab-e Chelleh, refers to the start of the forty coldest days of winter.
Around the korsi
Families gather at the home of the eldest relatives, traditionally around the korsi, a low heated table covered with a thick quilt. The table is laid with fruits the colour of dawn: pomegranates, their seeds sparkling red, and watermelon saved from summer, said to protect against illness in the winter ahead. There are bowls of ajil, nuts and dried fruits, and late into the night grandparents tell stories.
At some point someone opens the Divan of Hafez. Each person makes a wish, and the ghazal on the page they open answers it.
