Yalda / Khor-Ruz
The archetype of the birth of the sun,
an ancient legacy of Iranshahr
Aydin Areta

From an archetypal perspective, Yalda Night retells one of the most ancient beliefs in the unconscious of the peoples of the Iranian world: belief in the struggle between light and darkness and in the ultimate victory of light over darkness.

Within the collective unconscious of Iranians, Yalda can be interpreted as an embodiment of our collective hope in the final triumph of light over darkness—and perhaps even, beyond that, of our faith in the fulfilment of this primordial promise.

We celebrate the birth of that light which is born at the widest, strongest, and longest dominion of night and darkness. Our luminous celebration on the longest night of the year bears witness to our historical faith in the victory of light even when darkness and blackness appear at the height of their dominion and power.

In the essay before you, written several years ago, I looked at the historical and global importance of this celebration and its remarkable geographical reach.