Which ancient Persian festival is celebrated on the winter solstice?

The ancient Persian festival celebrated on the winter solstice is Yalda Night.

Also called Shab-e Yalda or Chelleh Night, it is observed by Iranian and other Persianate communities as the year’s longest and darkest night in the Northern Hemisphere. Families traditionally gather late into the night, sharing fruit, nuts, sweets, conversation, stories, and poetry.

Pomegranates and watermelons are especially associated with Yalda. Their red color is often interpreted as evoking dawn, warmth, and the return of light. Reading or reciting verses from the poet Hafez and passages from the Shahnameh is another familiar custom, sometimes accompanied by fortune-telling with Hafez’s poetry collection.

The name Yalda comes from Syriac and means “birth,” while Chelleh refers to the opening of a forty-day winter period. Yalda is sometimes confused with Nowruz, but Nowruz marks the spring equinox and the Persian New Year; Mehregan is a separate autumn festival. UNESCO added Yalda/Chelleh Night to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022.