Yalda
|
|
Yalda is celebrated on the eve of the first day of the winter in the Iranian calendar, which falls on the Winter Solstice. It celebrates the birth of Sun god Mehr. The festival was considered extremely important in pre-Islamic Iran (Persia) and continues to be celebrated to this day. Some historians believe that the festival spread to Europe through contacts between the Roman and Persian empires and was eventually replaced by Christmas; a theory that accounts for the celebration of Christmas on the 25th of December, rather than the later date of January 6th that is believed to be the correct date of birth of Christ.