Shab-e Yalda, The Celebration Of The Longest Night Of The Year! Yaldā Night (شب یلدا shab-e yalda) or Chelleh Night (شب چله shab-e chelle) is an Iranian Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice festival celebrated on the "longest and darkest night of the year." According to the calendar, this corresponds to the night of December 20/21. The longest and darkest night of the year is a time when friends and family gather together to eat, drink and read poetry especially Hafez until well after midnight. Fruits and nuts are eaten and pomegranates and watermelons are particularly significant. The red color in these fruits symbolizes the crimson hues of dawn and glow of life. The poems of Divan-e Hafez & Persian mythology such as Shahnameh شاهنامه are read or recited on various occasions such as this festival. Foods common to the celebration include watermelon, pomegranate, nuts, and dried fruit.The ancient myth is that eating هندوانه (watermelon) on Yalda Night makes the person immune to cold winter weather as well as the next summer’s heat. #ShabYalda #PersianCelebration #LongestNightOfTheYear #WinterSolstice #Hafez #Shahnameh #PersianMythology #DivanHafez #SanDiego (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJDNtOND2Xa/?igshid=1qcijlmfnevg7
