🍉 The Longest Night | A Yalda Celebration
On the longest, darkest night of the year, Persian families don't go to bed early. They gather, eat, read poetry and stay up together until the sun comes back. This is Yalda, and on Saturday 19 December we're celebrating it in Amsterdam.
Expect a full Yalda table, a cozy korsi to sit around, Hafez telling your fortune, and a dance floor that warms up as the night goes on.
You don't need to be Iranian or know anything about Yalda to join. Come curious, come solo or bring friends. Everyone is welcome.
What is Yalda?
Yalda, also called Shab-e Chelleh, falls on the winter solstice. For thousands of years, people in Iran and across the region have marked it as the night when darkness is at its strongest, and from which the days start getting longer again. The word Yalda means "birth": the rebirth of the sun. In 2022 it was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
What's waiting for you
🍉 The Yalda table: a traditional sofreh with pomegranates, watermelon, persimmons, ajil (Persian nuts and dried fruit) and candlelight
🛋️ The korsi: a low table under a heavy blanket, the heart of every Yalda at grandma's house. Slide your feet under, get warm and talk
📜 Fal-e Hafez: make a silent wish, open the book and let Hafez answer with a poem. We'll help translate and explain what it says about your year
🎶 Music: old-school Iranian classics and Bandari to dance to
🎲 Games and conversation cards to break the ice
🥂 A welcome drink, with or without alcohol
The evening
19:30 Doors open, welcome drink
20:00 The story of Yalda
20:30 Music and dancing until close
Good to know
❤️ Dress code: add a touch of red
🥜 Food: will be updated. (not included in a ticket price)
Who is this for?
Internationals, locals, Iranians who miss home, and anyone who has never heard of Yalda but likes the sound of pomegranates, poetry and dancing on a cold December night.
Please note that photos and videos will be taken during the event and may be used on our social media and for marketing purposes.