Shab-e Yalda 2024: Connection and celebration on the longest night of the year

There’s a quiet delight to Shab-e Yalda, the longest night of the year. History, poetry, and just enough magic conspire to make the world pause. After a year of juggling relentless deadlines, the constant ping of emails, and school runs, I felt exhausted.

Piles of washing and the little, invisible demands of midlife contributed to my fatigue. So we decided to focus on the simple things in life: home, friends and family.

Watermelon sugar high

The coffee table was now a glittering mosaic of colours and textures. Pomegranates were split open. They revealed jewel-like seeds. Nuts were in neat little piles. There were dried apricots and figs, golden raisins, and delicious watermelon slices.

“And this year, the miracle of miracles, the watermelon was good.”

Not that disaster of last year that left us questioning store choices. The soft glow of the Christmas tree in the corner added a quiet twinkle. It was a nod to our Western winter tradition. Meanwhile, the Persian spread brought its own warmth and colour. Candles flickered, and tea steamed from mismatched mugs.

For a moment, it all felt like the kind of magic you read about in novels.

Friends came as darkness fell. The house buzzed with chatter and laughter. It was cosy, fragrant, and utterly alive, the kind of night that feels bigger than the sum of its parts. Without a big Persian family nearby, friends become the family you choose.

Fal and fesenjan

Yalda is all about poetry, and H read Hafez aloud, the Persian poet whose words are timeless. Then came fal-e Hafez: open the Divan at random and treat whatever page appears as guidance for 2025.

“Its pages are like a midlife-life coach you didn’t know you hired.”

The verdict was unnervingly accurate, even if it felt slightly judgmental. It was still exactly what I needed to hear.

Then came dinner, and H’s home-cooked fesenjan stole the show. Dark, glossy, and unassuming (I’m still talking fesenjan here). One spoonful and it’s nutty, tangy, and deeply comforting, clinging to your taste buds like it’s invested in your happiness.

Paired with golden saffron rice, it looks elegant enough for any food magazine. Dessert followed: roulet sweet enough to make you forget your diet and feel very virtuous at the same time. Laughter, stories, minor spills, it was perfect.

Midnight stars and full hearts

At midnight, H and I stepped outside. The world was quiet, the sky velvet-strewn with stars, and I allowed myself a rare moment to just breathe. Back inside, we toasted health, happiness, and togetherness.

“Yalda is proof that even the darkest hours hold light.”

This Shab-e Yalda reminded me that celebrations don’t need grandeur. Simple gatherings, full of love, laughter, and traditions, are the ones that matter most. As our friends left and my cheeks were sore from smiling, I felt grateful for connection and tradition.