Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda): Traditions, Foods, Greetings and Meaning
Yalda Night, in Persian شب یلدا (shab-e yaldâ), is the Iranian celebration of the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. It falls on the evening of December 20 or 21, the last night of the Persian month of Azar. Families stay up late together, eat pomegranates, watermelon and nuts, read Hafez, and greet each other with یلدا مبارک (yaldâ mobârak), “happy Yalda.”
This guide covers when Yalda is, what the name means, the traditions and foods, the history as far as it is actually known, and the Persian words and greetings you need to join in, with audio buttons and practice along the way.
When is Yalda Night?
Yalda is the night between the last day of آذر (âzar), the ninth month of the Persian solar calendar, and the first day of دی (dey), the tenth. Because the Persian calendar follows the sun, this night lines up with the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. On the Western calendar that means the evening of December 20 or December 21, depending on the year.
- In 2026, Yalda Night falls on the evening of Monday, December 21.
- The celebration starts at sunset and goes on past midnight. The next morning, the first of Dey, is when the days start growing longer.
If you want to find the date for any other year, our Persian calendar converter turns 30 Azar into a Western date. For the month names and how the calendar works, see the Persian calendar explained.
What does “Yalda” mean?
The word یلدا (yaldâ) is not originally Persian. It comes from Syriac, the language of many early Middle Eastern Christians, where it means “birth.” Syriac-speaking Christians used it for the birth of Christ, and Persian took the word over for the solstice night, the “birth” of the sun after which the days grow longer again. Today Yalda is also a popular Iranian girl’s name.
The night has a second, older Persian name: شب چله (shab-e chelle) . چله (chelle) comes from چهل (chehel), “forty,” and refers to the forty coldest days of winter that begin on the first of Dey. So “the night of the chelle” is the doorway to the deep winter.
Yalda traditions
Yalda is a family night more than a public festival. There are no fixed rituals, but most Iranian homes share the same core customs.
Gathering at the elders’ home
Families usually gather at the home of the grandparents or the oldest relatives. People dress up a little, the table or cloth is filled with fruit and nuts, and the evening is spent talking, telling stories and laughing. Staying up late together is the heart of it: the Persian word for this kind of evening visit is شبنشینی (shab-neshini) . In the past, families sat around a کرسی (korsi), a low table with a heater underneath and a thick quilt over it, and some families still bring one out for Yalda.
Pomegranates and watermelon
Two fruits are on almost every Yalda table. انار (anâr) , pomegranate, with its deep red seeds, and هندوانه (hendevâne) , watermelon, saved from summer or bought specially for the night. Red is the color of Yalda; people link it to the glow of dawn and to life and warmth in the middle of winter. Many families say that eating watermelon on Yalda keeps you healthy through the cold months; the exact belief varies from region to region.
Seeding pomegranates is a job in itself, often shared around the table. In spoken Persian people say انار دون میکنیم (anâr dun mikonim), “we’re seeding pomegranates”; دون (dun) is the spoken form of دانه (dâne), “seed.” Some sprinkle the seeds with a pinch of گلپر (golpar), ground Persian hogweed, a tangy spice.
Ajil: nuts and dried fruit
آجیل (âjil) is a mix of roasted nuts, seeds and dried fruit: pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, roasted chickpeas, raisins and dried mulberries. For Yalda, families buy a special “Yalda ajil,” and shops in Iran pile it high in December. Persimmons, خرمالو (khormâlu), are also in season and very common on the table.
Reading Hafez: fâl-e hâfez
Poetry is part of the night, and above all the Divan of Hafez, the 14th-century poet of Shiraz. The custom is called فال حافظ (fâl-e hâfez) : each person makes a silent wish or asks a question in their heart, called making a نیت (niyyat), then the book is opened at random and the poem on that page is read aloud as the answer. Usually the oldest person or the best reader does the reading, and everyone discusses what the poem “means” for the person. For the full step-by-step custom, read our guide to fal-e Hafez; to meet the poet himself, try Persian Reading Lesson 24: Hafez.
Some families also read from the شاهنامه (shâhnâme), Ferdowsi’s epic of Iran’s kings and heroes, or the grandparents tell old stories. There is more on the epic in our post on the Shahnameh.
Yalda gifts for brides
In many Iranian families, a newly engaged or newly married young woman receives a Yalda gift from her fiancé’s or husband’s family: a decorated tray with fruit, nuts, sweets and often a present. Customs and names for this differ from region to region.
Flashcards: tap to flip
Yalda Night
the other name for Yalda
pomegranate
watermelon
mixed nuts and dried fruit
reading Hafez for a wish
heated low table with a quilt
staying up together, an evening visit
The history of Yalda: what we actually know
You will read many confident claims online that Yalda is “7,000 years old” or a festival of the god Mithra. The honest picture is shorter.
- It is a solstice festival. People in Iran and its neighbors have marked the longest night for a very long time. In Zoroastrian thought, darkness was linked to evil and light to good, and the longest night was a time to stay awake together until the light came back.
- The name is borrowed. The word Yalda comes from Syriac and was brought in by Christian communities; the older Persian name is shab-e chelle.
- The exact age is unknown. Popular theories connect Yalda to Mithra or date it to specific ancient kings, but the evidence for these claims is thin, and scholars do not agree on them.
- It is shared across the region. Yalda or Chelle is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and other parts of Central Asia and the Caucasus, and by Iranians around the world. In 2022, UNESCO added “Yalda/Chella” to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, nominated jointly by Iran and Afghanistan.
Yalda sits in a year full of Iranian celebrations. If you enjoy it, read about Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which falls at the spring equinox.
Yalda words and phrases
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| شب یلدا | shab-e yaldâ | Yalda Night | the name of the night |
| شب چله | shab-e chelle | “night of the forty” | older name, very common |
| یلدا مبارک | yaldâ mobârak | Happy Yalda | to anyone, in person or by text |
| یلداتون مبارک | yaldâtun mobârak | Happy Yalda to you | spoken, polite (plural/formal “you”) |
| یلدات مبارک | yaldât mobârak | Happy Yalda to you | spoken, to a friend or child |
| شب یلدا خوش بگذره | shab-e yaldâ khosh begzare | Have a nice Yalda | spoken, when parting before the night |
| شب یلدا خوش بگذرد | shab-e yaldâ khosh begozarad | Have a nice Yalda | formal or written |
| انار | anâr | pomegranate | |
| هندوانه | hendevâne | watermelon | spoken often hendune |
| آجیل | âjil | mixed nuts and dried fruit | |
| پسته | peste | pistachio | |
| بادام | bâdâm | almond | |
| گردو | gerdu | walnut | |
| فندق | fandogh | hazelnut | |
| کشمش | keshmesh | raisins | |
| خرمالو | khormâlu | persimmon | |
| دیوان حافظ | divân-e hâfez | the collected poems of Hafez | |
| فال حافظ | fâl-e hâfez | Hafez divination | “Let’s do a fâl-e hâfez” |
| نیت کن | niyyat kon | make your wish (silently) | said before the Divan is opened |
| طولانیترین شب سال | tulâni-tarin shab-e sâl | the longest night of the year | describing Yalda |
Hear the key greetings: yaldâ mobârak, yaldâtun mobârak, shab-e yaldâ khosh begzare. For more fruit and nut words, see our fruits and vegetables in Persian.
Yalda messages you can send
Short and warm is best. These work in a text or a card:
- یلدا مبارک (yaldâ mobârak): “Happy Yalda.” Works for everyone.
- یلداتون مبارک، خوش بگذره (yaldâtun mobârak, khosh begzare): “Happy Yalda, have a great time.” Spoken style, friendly but polite.
- شب یلدا بر شما مبارک باد (shab-e yaldâ bar shomâ mobârak bâd): “May Yalda Night be blessed for you.” Formal, for a card or an email to a colleague.
Which Yalda greeting fits?
یلدات مبارک (yaldât mobârak) or simply یلدا مبارک. With friends you use the singular “your,” which after a vowel is just -t: yaldâ + t = yaldât.
یلداتون مبارک (yaldâtun mobârak). The -tun ending is the polite plural “your” in spoken Persian (formal written: -tân). Add خوش بگذره (khosh begzare) if you will not see them that night.
In writing: شب یلدا بر شما مبارک باد (shab-e yaldâ bar shomâ mobârak bâd). In person, یلداتون مبارک is fine.
How to celebrate Yalda if you are not Iranian
- Set a simple table: a bowl of pomegranate seeds, a few slices of watermelon, a plate of nuts and dried fruit, and a candle.
- Stay up a little later than usual with friends or family, and keep phones away.
- Read a poem. An English translation of a Hafez ghazal works well; our page of Persian poems has originals with translations if you want to try the Persian.
- Greet your Iranian friends with یلدا مبارک. It is always appreciated.
Try it: how do you wish your Iranian neighbor a happy Yalda?
Your neighbor is older than you, and you meet them in the hallway on the afternoon of Yalda. Say your greeting out loud first, then check.
یلداتون مبارک، خوش بگذره (yaldâtun mobârak, khosh begzare): “Happy Yalda, have a nice evening.” The polite -tun ending fits an older neighbor, and khosh begzare is what you say when they still have the evening ahead of them. A likely reply: مرسی، همچنین (mersi, hamchenin), “Thanks, you too.”
Practice: choose the right word
Yalda falls on the last night of the month of .آذر (âzar). The next day is the first of دی (dey).
The other Persian name for Yalda is شب .شب چله (shab-e chelle), from چهل, “forty.”
The red fruit everyone seeds on Yalda is .انار (anâr), pomegranate.
The big green fruit kept from summer for Yalda is .هندوانه (hendevâne), watermelon.
The mix of nuts and dried fruit is called .آجیل (âjil).
Before the Divan is opened, someone tells you: .نیت کن (niyyat kon): make your wish silently.
To wish an older relative a happy Yalda in spoken Persian: .یلداتون مبارک (yaldâtun mobârak), with the polite ending.
Want to read about Yalda in simple Persian? Try our reading lesson on Yalda Night and the short news-style text on Yalda customs.
Quick quiz: Shab-e Yalda
1. What does Yalda celebrate?
- the first day of spring
- the longest night of the year
- the harvest
- the shortest night of the year
Why
Yalda is the winter solstice, the longest night.
2. The word یلدا (yaldâ) comes from Syriac and means:
- night
- light
- birth
- winter
Why
In Syriac it means “birth”; Persian took it for the “birth” of the sun.
3. Why is Yalda also called شب چله (shab-e chelle)?
- It opens the forty coldest days of winter
- It lasts forty hours
- Forty dishes must be served
- It is forty days before Nowruz
Why
چله comes from چهل, forty, the forty coldest days that start on the first of Dey.
4. Which two fruits are on almost every Yalda table?
- apples and grapes
- dates and figs
- oranges and lemons
- pomegranate and watermelon
Why
انار and هندوانه, both red inside, the color of Yalda.
5. Whose poetry is traditionally read for a fâl on Yalda?
- Rumi
- Hafez
- Khayyam
- Saadi
Why
The Divan of Hafez is opened at random for فال حافظ.
6. What is a کرسی (korsi)?
- a Yalda sweet
- a poem
- a low heated table covered with a quilt
- a kind of nut
Why
Families used to sit around the korsi on winter nights.
7. Which greeting is spoken and polite?
- یلداتون مبارک
- یلدات مبارک
- تولدت مبارک
- شب بخیر
Why
The -tun ending (yaldâtun) is the polite spoken “your.”
8. In which year did UNESCO add Yalda/Chella to its intangible heritage list?
- 2008
- 2015
- 2019
- 2022
Why
It was inscribed in 2022, nominated jointly by Iran and Afghanistan.
Common questions
When is Yalda Night 2026?
Yalda Night 2026 is on the evening of Monday, December 21, the night between 30 Azar and 1 Dey in the Persian calendar. It begins at sunset and the celebration runs past midnight.
What do you say on Yalda Night?
The standard greeting is یلدا مبارک (yaldâ mobârak), “happy Yalda.” In spoken Persian you will also hear یلداتون مبارک (yaldâtun mobârak), polite, and یلدات مبارک (yaldât mobârak), to a friend.
Why do Iranians eat pomegranate and watermelon on Yalda?
Both are red inside, and red stands for dawn, warmth and life on the darkest night. Watermelon is also linked to an old belief that eating it on Yalda keeps you well through winter. Pomegranates are in season in Iran in late autumn.
Is Yalda a religious holiday?
No. It is a cultural and family celebration, kept by Iranians of every background. Its roots are pre-Islamic, and the name comes from Syriac Christian usage, but today it is simply a night for family, food and poetry.
Is Yalda the same as Christmas?
No, although both fall near the winter solstice and the word Yalda comes from the Syriac word Christians used for the birth of Christ. Yalda celebrates the longest night and the return of longer days.
What is the difference between Yalda and Nowruz?
Yalda marks the winter solstice in December; Nowruz is the Persian New Year at the spring equinox in March. Yalda is one evening at home with family, while Nowruz is a two-week holiday with visits, the haft-sin table and new clothes.
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