Shab-e Yala Mobarak!
Shab-e Yalda (Night of Yalda) is an Iranian festival held on the winter solstice, the longest and darkest night of the year. As the solstice marks the turning point when days become longer and nights shorter, for ancient Iranians this symbolised the victory of light over darkness and life over death.
Friends and family gather together to eat, drink, and read poetry (especially from Hafez) until well after midnight. Red fruits and nuts are typically eaten with pomegranates and watermelons being especially significant. The red symbolises the crimson hues of dawn and the glow of life.
In the Zoroastrian tradition the longest and darkest night of the year was a particularly inauspicious day and the practices of what is now known as Shab-e Yalda were originally customs intended to protect people from evil during that long night. People were advised to stay awake most of the night, lest misfortune should befell them, and people would gather in the safety of groups of family and friends, share the last remaining fruits from the summer, and find ways to pass the long night together in good company.