Yalda and the Promise of Dawn: Understanding Resilience Through Ritual

On the longest night of the year, Iranians gather not merely to celebrate, but to remember a simple truth: after darkness comes light. Yalda is not only a cultural festivity; it is a mindset that has endured for centuries.

On this night, it is believed that darkness reaches its peak. Demons linger outside, stronger than at any other time of the year. That is why people stay indoors, fill their surroundings with light, and spend the night with their loved ones. In the past, families stayed awake until dawn. Some still do. Others no longer can, bound by work and school. The meaning, however, remains unchanged.

When the night finally breaks, darkness loses its power and the light returns. From that day on, the days grow longer. This shift, quiet but unmistakable, becomes a symbol of certainty: that hardship does not last forever, and that change, however slow, is inevitable.

If we look closely at Yalda, we see how deeply it reflects the Iranian mindset. It offers one answer to how a people endure hardship after hardship, as individuals and as a nation, and still find room to laugh, to dance, to live.

The belief is simple, yet deeply ingrained. Darkness is temporary. Better days will come. In the end, Ahriman will lose, and Zahhak will be bound.

What makes Yalda remarkable is not only its symbolism, but its function. In times of uncertainty, repetition, familiarity, and shared memory create a sense of psychological safety. Staying awake together, telling the same stories year after year, transforms fear into something contained and bearable.

Yalda teaches resilience not through denial, but through patience. Yalda does not promise immediate relief from darkness. Instead, it teaches people how to sit with it. By staying awake, gathering together, and waiting for the night to pass, darkness is acknowledged rather than feared. The night is long, but it is not without direction.