It is the longest night of the year, Yalda. It is snowing. The warmth of the home of grandmother nullifies the cold weather of winter.

The granny has prepared a table full of different kinds of fruits, nuts, sweets and flowers. All the grandchildren are gathered at her home. The youngest grandchild asks the grandma to tell the story of Nan-e Sarma:

Once upon a time, Nan-e Sarma, the lady of cold spells, arrived with the cold weather. She was an old woman with her hair as white as snow. 

The grandma forest lived in the sky. She had two sons who brought cold weather with themselves. One of her sons, Chelle Bozorge, was a kind man. He reigned the world from the first day of winter for forty days.

After the reign of Chelle Bozorge, the other son of Nan-e Sarma, Chelle Kocheeke, reigned the world. He was unkind and cold. He brought sever cold weather, ice and snow. But his sovereignty was short. Only twenty days.

The older brother told the younger one not to try to make the world so cold. “Don’t try hard, the spring will take away cold,” Chelle Bozorge told Chelle Kocheeke. However, the younger brother tried to make everything freeze.

One day, another ruler came and imprisoned Chelle Kocheeke in an icy mountain.

Nan-e Sarma became really sad. She took a hot bar with herself and went to the mountain to fight with the ices and snows and save her son.

She won the fight and all snows were melted.

Nan-e Sarma, happy and cheerful, made her home all clean and neat. She prepared everything and waited for Amoo Noruz, the “Uncle New Year”, the kind messenger of the New Year and spring. 

On the first day of spring, Nan-e Sarma, dressed up and set up her haft-sin, waiting for Amoo Noruz.

But she fell asleep while Amoo Noruz showed up. He drank some tea and left her a marigold flower and disappeared without waking her up.

So she should wait one more year until next spring to see him again. 

Some people believe that if these two meet each other, an apocalypse will happen.

Tehran Times Women’s Desk wishes all readers a happy and cheerful Yalda Night.

NM/MG