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.
65
days until Shab-e Yalda
Monday, 30 Azar 1405 · December 21, 2026
Your Fal
Ghazal 78
دیدی که یار، جُز سَرِ جور و سِتَم نَداشتبِشْکَسْت عَهْد، وَز غَمِ ما، هیچ غَم نَداشت
یا رَب مَگیرَش اَرْچِه دِلِ چون کَبوتَرَماَفْکَنْد و کُشْت و عِزَّتِ صِیْدِ حَرَم نَداشت
بَر مَن، جَفا زِ بَخْتِ مَن آمَد وَگَرنَه یارحاشا که رَسْمِ لُطْف و طَریقِ کَرَم نَداشت
Interpretation
You have met with faithlessness from someone, and your heart is broken. Don’t curse them; perhaps this hurt came from fate, not from their heart. Whoever has not endured hardship gains neither worth nor respect. Whoever does not find the way to the beloved’s door toils in vain; so take the right path. In words and skill you will surpass others.
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