Iranian families to get together tonight for longest night of year

Tehran, Dec 21, IRNA – Iranian families are to get together Saturday night to celebrate the longest night of the year. The occasion has been observed for thousands of years as a time of renewing friendship by holding cozy family gatherings. The night is a major festivity Iranians worldwide have been celebrating throughout the nationˈs thousands-year history. The night called Yalda means birth and re-emergence in Persian. It tells of the hope of the people for a bright and life-generating light after the end of the longest night. Traditionally, the whole family gathers in the house of the oldest member of the family, usually the parents, to be treated by red watermelons, pomegranate, special nuts, sweets and a number of other items according to their location. The eldest member of the family reads some verses from the works of the great Iranian poem Hafez Shirazi to know about the mystical poetˈs prophecies for the coming days of the year for each single member of the family. Then parts of Iranˈs world renown epic Shahnameh are read to remind the young ones of the glory of the nationˈs civilization. The night has been observed by the Iranian families for centuries on and on but never lost its magical attraction for the nation as it provides an occasion for all to remember that light, prosperity and beauty of life will eventually conquer the world despite the long rule of darkness and infertility.