TEHRAN - Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri, has said that the ancient festivity of Yalda should be viewed as a shared cultural framework for dialogue, cohesion and civilizational convergence across the region.

In a video message released ahead of Yalda Night, Salehi-Amiri said the ancient Iranian tradition went beyond a seasonal celebration and could function as a tool of cultural diplomacy among countries in the Nowruz civilizational sphere and members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

“When we speak of Yalda, we are not referring merely to a ritual or a calendar night,” Salehi-Amiri said. “Yalda represents a rooted cultural discourse for solidarity at the level of the family, society and the region.”

He said Yalda symbolizes dialogue and togetherness, noting that Iranians traditionally spend the night in extended conversation with family members, a practice he said reflected broader social interaction and collective life.

Salehi-Amiri said Yalda, like Nowruz, Chaharshanbe-Suri and Sizdah Bedar, formed part of an interconnected civilizational tradition that predates modern political borders. He added that these shared customs could help bridge divisions and support unity through dialogue.

The minister said Iran believed a sustainable cultural process based on dialogue could be developed across the Nowruz region (Nowruz-observing countries), with Yalda serving as a common cultural symbol among Iran, ECO member states, Central Asia, the Caucasus and neighboring regions. “Yalda has social and cultural significance because people prepared for it in advance and used the occasion to strengthen social bonds and reduce personal tensions, describing this as a model that could be extended at the regional level.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, he underlined that Yalda reflects the principles of cultural diplomacy, which he distinguished from political diplomacy by its focus on shared heritage, dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

“I hope that by relying on traditions such as Yalda, we can reinforce our cultural foundations and promote a path toward unity, peace and sustainable regional convergence,” he said.

Also known as Shab-e Yalda or Shab-e Chelleh, Yalda marks the winter solstice and the longest night of the year. This year, it falls on the night of Dec. 21.

On Yalda Night, families and friends traditionally gather to share food and conversation, often eating fruits and nuts such as watermelon and pomegranate, which are commonly associated with the coming of light and renewal after darkness.

In 2022, UNESCO added Yalda Night to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, highlighting its significance as a cornerstone of Persian culture and tradition. Yalda’s roots trace back thousands of years, possibly to the second millennium BC, and even, according to some sources, earlier to the fourth millennium BC. In Zoroastrian tradition, the night represented the peak of darkness and the forces of evil.

Yalda Night is also celebrated across Greater Iran, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, and parts of Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

AM