Happy Yalda

Winter Solstice is officially tonight (tomorrow morning) at 1:05 am Toronto time. So remember to keep awake and party all night.

Yalda:

Shabe Yaldā (Persian: یلدا) or Shabe Chelle (Persian: شب چله) is an Iranian festival originally celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice.



Following the fall of the Sassanid Empire, the religious significance of the event was lost, and like all the other Zoroastrian festivals Yalda became merely a social occasion when family and close friends would get together. Nonetheless, the obligatory serving of fresh fruit during mid-winter is reminiscent of the ancient customs of invoking the divinities to request protection of the winter crop.

P.s. Mona, check out the link to the baby photo!

Irrelevant Photo:

Here is a Koala bear in Spain who loves her baby!