Freaking Festive, Persian Version!

Winter is (almost) here! So you get it! It's cold and gets dark really soon and stuff... And of course you'll know it when Chritmas decorations appear on the street like this! Like do we celebrate Christmas now?! Come on!

But what you may not know is that we have an occasion to celebrate these days, too!  We have a very famous, beautiful celebration at this time of the year. 

In our solar calendar, which I believe is unique in the world right now and I actually think that only Iran uses it as the official calendar, Winter starts in two days! The first night of Winter, meaning when the sun sets on the last day of Autumn, Yalda night begins. 

Yalda is the longest night of the year! We have special plans for this night. It's our only Winter celebration these days, so you see how important it is for us. Families come together and have dinner. The food that is served does not matter, as it varies from Ghormeh Sabzi to fried fish depending on which part of the country that particular family is from. The real fun begins after that! So as it is the longest night and the beginning of Winter, we eat watermelons, which are summery fruits really! We intend to show that we remember the good, warm days and we know that they will come back after the nature completes its cycle. We have pomegranates, ajil (Persian mixed nuts), special sweets like Baslogh (a very delicious treat, kind of like Turkish delights) and we read the poems of Hafiz (the great Persian poet). We actually use his poems to foretell things about the year ahead. It's a night to gather, sing and laugh, and eat delicious food with family and friends. 

This is a really ancient Persian tradition, which has its roots deep into history, probably more than 3000 years ago. In ancient times, people had this celebration to worship Mithra, god of sun. They believed that the longest night of the year shows the great battle between good and evil, light and dark, and no matter how long the night may be, the sun always wins and rises each morning.

The most amazing thing, which I think is more than a coincidence, is that it happens only four days before Christmas! We know that Jesus's birthday is probably in September, so it is kind of curious that two events from two different cultures are so close to each other and both of them have similar elements. Right?

Anyway, since this is probably my last blog of the year, so I better say "Merry Christmas" to those of you who celebrate Christmas, and a very happy Yalda to all of you Persian guys out there. Hope you enjoy Yalda wherever you are. Love you all!

Could it be for the best?

Sometimes I actually feel that everything is getting... worse?!
We have started to think about leaving Iran and it breaks my heart because I know my country is so beautiful has a lot to see and experience but I'm fed up with every freaking thing that is happening here.
My husband lost his job in August due to the end of the project he was working on and he is still looking for a new one! He is an electronics engineer. He's been home for a few months now and having him here has been a true blessing (because he worked in another city for two and a half years and I only saw him one week per month), but he is kind of nervous about not having a job. He's been looking but so far he has only found small jobs as a freelancer and nothing much. It's so devestating to see a man like him in this position. As a matter of fact, do you know any man who wouldn't feel bad when he loses his job?
On the other hand, I am a freelance translator and work orders have not been so promising recently. So that adds up to the troubles on my mind. It's ridiculous how money can be the only issue, but you feel like everything is going wrong.
But all of this can happen and I still appreciate the mornings that I wake up with him by my side. I remember how I felt when he wasn't home and I  woke up all alone in our bed and it felt so cold and lonely. I know he is having a tough time right now, but I also know that our love would still save us from any trouble.
To God, if he is out there, please help us! If leaving this country is the answer, so be it! I will leave with pleasure! Just let us live without any worries. Just let all of live at peace!