welcome to iran (well kinda) !

@Listeningsarinn

Following so I can hear all about Iran!

our calender!

we have a solar calendar

which means it is based on where earth is relatively to the sun at each time of the year

in better words its based on « the change pf seasons »

our new year which is called norouz marks the start of spring

As nature and all the trees and greens are reborn, a new section of life begins!

word by word, no-rouz mean a new day, a new age/era

ill tell you more about the ways in which we celebrate no-rouz later but today, i have another event to tell you about!

tonight is the last night of fall and the start of winter

which in iran we call yalda night or chelle night!

ancient iranians who were mostly farmers discovered by experience that longer days are better for their crops

they noticed that as summer went on to fall the days started to get shorter and after what seemed to be the longest night of all, the daylight hours started to get longer again

In ancient stories it is said that long long ago there was a time when the demons and evil forces of the dark were taking over the world little by little, each passing day the daylight time would get a tiny bit shorter and the night a tiny but longer and darker

but then, on the day of yalda a goddess was born!

mithra was the goddess of sun and light, with her birth the light gains more power and from the day after that each day, the night gets a minute shorter and the daylight gets a minute longer once again!

on this night iranian people all gather around family and friends, play music, read poetry, and stay up until after midnight together hoping to stay safe from the demons on the darkest day which is when they are at their peak power and the day after is reserved for celebrating the birth of mithra!

it is traditional to serve orange and red fruits on this day, most famously pomegranates and watermelons

the pomegranates are viewed as a sign of birth of sun at the dawn and it was believed that if you eat watermelons on this day it shall protect you from sickness in the cold of the winter and from heat in the upcoming summer

we read hafez poetry on this day, hafez is one of the most well known poets in the history of iran and his poetry is usually viewd as some sort of fortune telling tool, say like fortune cookies 🥠 ^^

we each put a peace of accessory or a key or something in a vase and fill it with water

then the youngest child in the party takes out these trinkets randomly one at a time

After each trinket is drawn, One of the elders will open a random page from the hafez poem collection and read it aloud

That poem is considered hafez’s word of advice and what he foresees in the future for the owner of that trinket

happy yalda everyone!

may all your long and dark nights be spent in good company and followed by the rebirth of light and hope!