Yalda Night, Shabeh Chelleh, the festival of ‘Deygan,’ and khoore rooz (the day of the sun)! скачать в хорошем качестве

Yalda Night, Shabeh Chelleh, the festival of ‘Deygan,’ and khoore rooz (the day of the sun)!

Indo-Iranian and Indo-European gods were associated with natural phenomena and with abstract concepts such as justice and truth. The Ancient Iranian religion before 600 BC was Mithraism. They worshiped the Sun (Goddess Mitra) as the symbol of truth and the Water (Goddess Anahita) as the symbol of life. Fire symbolizes the Sun and truth, and the evergreen tree represents water and life. Darkness symbolizes the devil. Around 600 BC there arose in the northeast of Persia the great Iranian religious prophet and teacher Zoroaster (Zartusht). The Zoroastrian one and only god are Ahura Mazdā. Zoroaster (Zartusht)’s teaching it was to speak the truth and loathe the lie. Ancient Persians believed that evil forces were dominant on the longest night of the year and that the next day belonged to the Lord of Wisdom, Ahura Mazda. Zoroastrians borrowed the tradition of Fire symbolizes the Sun and truth, and the evergreen tree represents water and life from Mithraism, but, in Zoroastrian, darkness symbolizes the devil and the lie. Fire is the most important symbol, in fact, believe it or not, there is a fire in Zoroastrian temple that has been lit for almost 1500 years! Yalda Night also known as Shabeh Chelleh (the first night of forty), the festival of ‘Deygan,’ and khoore rooz (the day of the sun), is a winter solstice celebration and is the first day of winter in the Iranian calendar that corresponds to the night of December 20/21. In ancient Persia, Yalda night was the New Year, and legend says it is the birthday of the Sun and the goddess Mitra. On the longest night of the year, Ancient Persians believed that the sun was saved from the claws of darkness. Even though Yalda night is coming from Mithraism, it has been passed on through all generations of different religions and stayed a major holiday for Iran and countries that were part of Persia such as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia etc. Wherever Yalda Night has gone, a little bit of taste from that culture has been added to it. On Yalda Night, since days become longer and nights shorter, this day marks the victory of the sun over darkness. Fires would be burnt all night to ensure the defeat of the forces of evil. There would be feasts, acts of charity and prayers performed to ensure the total victory of the sun--essential for the protection of winter crops. There would be prayers to Mitra (Mehr) and feasts in her honor since Mitra is the Goddess responsible for protecting “the light of the early morning.” It was also assumed that Ahura Mazda would grant people’s wishes. At this night families keep the fires burning and the lights glowing to symbolically help the sun in its battle over darkness. It is also tradition for the elders to say legends and tales that supposedly speak of events in the 1st millennium BC (100,000 BC). Singing, acting, and reciting poems from the Firdousi is another Yalda Night culture. Faal-e Hafez, Dancing, and playing an instrument is also a tradition for some families. It is a tradition on Yalda Night to meet up in eldest family members’ house, where better than your grandparent's place, here you can enjoy the aroma of traditional food drifting through the house as you can nibble till morning on the nuts, dry fruits, fresh fruits and mini pastries. These items were commonly placed on a Korsi in the past, which is a low table covered with a blanket, and a charcoal fire coated with ash is in the middle to warm up your feet. People sit around the Korsi and stick their legs under the blanket. In some areas, it is custom that forty varieties of edibles should be served during the ceremony of Yalda Night. You can refresh with tea made using the old samovar boiling in the corner, but that’s only one of your options. There are many traditional drinks you can enjoy on Yalda Night. Food plays a central role on Yalda Night. Family and friends come together and enjoy a fine dinner specifically prepared or kept for this night. Fruits common to the celebration include watermelons, apples, grapes, sweet melons, persimmon, and pomegranate. If there is fresh, clean snow, they scoop some up and pour some syrup on it. Now you have Baarf- oo- Shireh! The Pomegranate is one of the most important fruits of Yalda night. It symbolizes love, fertility, rebirth, and, of course, the cycle of life. In young engaged couples, the men send an arrangement of seven kinds of fruits and a variety of gifts to their fiancées on this night. In some areas, the girl and her family return the favor by sending gifts back for the young man. Everyone who celebrates Yalda Night believes as the long Yalda Night ends, the light will shine, and goodness will prevail for the rest of the year.