KRG culture ministry event commemorates Yalda Night
Musicians and poets performed for the event’s 200 or so attendees.
Yalda Night is rooted in the Zoroastrian faith. Yalda means birth in Syriac, referring to the birth of Mitra, a Zoroastrian divinity of light.
Commemorating the longest night of the year – the winter solstice – it can fall on either December 20 or 21.
Beyond Kurdistan, the festival is celebrated in Iran, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
Celebrations usually include singing, dancing, poetry reading, and the eating of fruits and nuts – particularly pomegranates.
Rudaw
