The Syriac Origin of the Name “Yalda”
The name “Yalda” is a loanword from Syriac, a dialect of Middle Aramaic spoken by early Christian communities. According to lexicographers such as Ali Akbar Dehkhoda, the word entered Persian through contact with Syriac-speaking Christians during the Parthian and Sasanian periods.
In Syriac Christian tradition, Yalda referred to the birth of Christ and was associated with celebrations held near the winter solstice. As Eastern Christian communities settled in Iranian territories and enjoyed relative religious freedom, cultural exchange led to the adoption of this term into Persian vocabulary.
Over time, the word “Yalda” became fully integrated into Iranian culture, shedding its exclusively Christian association and aligning with pre-existing Iranian solar symbolism. Thus, Yalda Night and Shab-e Chele became synonymous, used interchangeably to describe the same celebration.
Classical Scholars and Interpretations
Prominent scholars of the Islamic Golden Age also referenced Yalda. Abu Rayhan al-Biruni referred to it as “Milād al-Akbar” (the Great Birth), interpreting it as the birth of the sun. In his works, the first day of Dey is sometimes called “Khor”, meaning sun, further emphasizing the solar symbolism embedded in the celebration.
These scholarly interpretations demonstrate how Yalda was understood not merely as folklore, but as a concept intertwined with astronomy, philosophy, and cosmology.
