The longest night
Shab-e Yalda 1405: the longest night
Pomegranates, watermelon, ajil and Hafez: how Iranians around the world celebrate the longest night of the year.
45
days until Shab-e Yalda
Monday, 30 Azar 1405 · December 21, 2026
Your Fal
Ghazal 309
عشقبازیّ و جوانیّ و شرابِ لَعلْفاممجلسِ اُنس و حریفِ همدم و شُربِ مدام
ساقیِ شِکَّردهان و مُطربِ شیرینسخنهمنشینی نیککردار و ندیمی نیکنام
شاهدی از لطف و پاکی رَشکِ آبِ زندگیدلبری در حُسن و خوبی غیرتِ ماهِ تمام
Interpretation
Happy days of youth, love, good companions and a warm circle lie ahead. You will have a lovely gathering and friends who keep secrets. Value these blessings, for whoever doesn’t want this joy and sincerity will find their happiness spoiled. May your words be sweet and your generosity light up the world.
Think of your question, then open your Fal.
What is Shab-e Yalda?
Shab-e Yalda is the longest night of the year, the night from 30 Azar to 1 Dey, usually from 21 to 22 December. Families gather and stay awake until long after midnight. In old Persian belief, light begins to win over darkness from this night on, because the days grow longer again. The word Yalda comes from Syriac and means birth.
Customs
- Pomegranates: the red seeds stand for the glow of dawn and for new life.
- Watermelon: folk belief says it protects against cold and illness in winter.
- Ajil: a mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruit that people snack on all night.
- Fal-e Hafez: everyone thinks of a wish, and a family member reads a verse by Hafez as the answer.
- Stories: the grandparents tell tales, in the past often under the korsi, a heated table covered with a quilt.
Hafez on Yalda night
Fal-e Hafez belongs to Yalda just like the pomegranate. Think of your question and open your Fal right here.
Fal-e Hafez: Hafez fortune online