Celebrates

Yalda (Winter Solstice)

Friday, December 15th, 2023, 6-10 PM

Please purchase your ticket here: admission $10

(The admission fee will be deducted from your food purchase.)

Cash Bar: Persian Food & Drink

Yalda is a traditional festival celebrated since the ancient times during the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere . It runs from sunset on the 30th of the Persian month of Azar, the last day of autumn , to its sunrise on the 1st of Dey , the first day of winter.

The word Yaldá is of Syriac origin and means “birth”, in allusion to an allegorical birth of the Sun – in the myth, Mithras – analogous to the later Roman natalis solis invictis, also Mithraic Mithraic. People place candles on windowsills, stay up all night, and celebrate the arrival of the Sun, and the victory of light over darkness.

Among the typical fruits of this night are Watermelon and Pomegranate. Watermelon symbolizes the memory of summer and high temperatures. It is believed that if you eat watermelon on Yalda Night, throughout the winter, the cold and illness will not defeat you. Pomegranate is a symbol of fertility and joy. It is believed that by eating it, one would find energy and new life.