Yalda Night Celebrated in Islamabad

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The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran celebrated the “Yalda Night” in Islamabad on 21 December 2022. The celebration was hosted by the Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan H.E. Mohammad Ali Hosseini and attended by the large number of Iranian diplomats and officials living in Islamabad. President ECOSF Prof. Seyed Komail Tayebi also attended the celebration.

Yalda Night is an ancient festival and celebrated in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey on the longest night of the year.  This corresponds to the night of December 20/21 in the Gregorian Calendar. The friends and family gather together to eat, drink and read poetry (especially Hafez) and the Shahnameh 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, which can be found in the bookcases of most Iranian families, are read or recited on various occasions.