Celebrating Yalda Night - A Joyful Family Gathering

Longest night of the year was celebrated by other nations too, but with different names. For example around 4000 years ago in Egypt and ancient Greece there were similar festivals held in last day of Fall. Decorating the tree with a star on top in Christmas which is sign of Mithra or the guiding star and the word Noel which is a roman word for Birth, might have been taken from the Yalda celebrations in Mithraism. Papa Noel’s hat is also so similar to Zoroastrian priests’ hat which were worn in Yalda festival.