TEHRAN- The all-female troupe Ailan plans to go on stage at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Friday to perform a repertoire of Azeri music and traditional dance during a program entitled “Sonay” for an audience of women. 

The ensemble, comprising 80 musicians specializing in Azeri music and dance, will perform under the direction of Adeleh Ziai. 

"Sonay" in Azeri signifies the closest moment of alignment between the moon and the sun. It also refers to the last moon, particularly the full moon marking the final month of summer. With this moonlight, the time for the sacred festival of Shayinliq, symbolizing tranquility, begins. Ay, meaning moon and Shay, another name for the sun, represent two halves of a whole.

In this tale, Ay and Shay are each other's lost halves. As the full moon rises on the fourteenth day at the end of summer and the sun sets, they momentarily gaze upon each other. They are eternal lovers destined for separation, for if they were to unite, darkness would envelop the land once more. 

SAB/