Yalda Beyond Iran’s Borders
Yalda Night is not confined to the geographical boundaries of modern Iran. Variations of this celebration are observed in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, as well as in parts of the Caucasus, including Azerbaijan and Armenia. Among Iranian diaspora communities worldwide, Yalda has become a powerful symbol of cultural belonging and continuity.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the same date corresponds to the shortest night of the year, yet for Iranian communities living there, Yalda is still celebrated according to its symbolic meaning rather than its astronomical reality, underscoring its cultural rather than purely scientific essence.
Names and the Concept of Chele
The term “Chele” derives from the Persian word meaning “forty.” Yalda Night marks the beginning of the Greater Chele (Chele-ye Bozorg)—the first forty-day period of winter, lasting from Dey 1 to Bahman 11. This is followed by the Lesser Chele (Chele-ye Kuchak), a subsequent forty-day cycle composed of twenty days and twenty nights.
In Iranian folk culture, these periods are associated with weather patterns, agricultural cycles, and seasonal hardships. Naming and marking these periods reflect humanity’s long-standing effort to understand, categorize, and coexist with nature.
