What is the Relationship between Yalda and Christmas?
By: Nazila Fathi
Dec. 10, 2021–
On December 21, Iranians celebrate Yalda, one of the most ancient pagan festivals. Just four nights later, on December 25, the Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Is there a link between the two?
Yalda marks the winter solstice; it is the last night of fall and the longest night of the year.
Yalda means birth and it refers to the birth of Mithra, the Sun God, who symbolizes light, goodness, and strength on earth. The concept in ancient Persia can be traced back to the primal struggle pitting light and good against darkness and evil when Mithra was the most important of the Persia gods.
After Yalda, light triumphs, as the days grow longer and give more light. Iranians celebrate the last night of fall as the renewal of the sun and the victory of light over darkness.
Beginning with Darius the Great (522–486 BCE), the Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty adopted Zoroastrianism as the new religion of the land. It was one of the world’s first monotheistic religions.
But Darius and his successors did not wish to eradicate the old beliefs that were still dear to the hearts of many nobles. Thus, old traditions and celebrations became part of Zoroastrianism, including the celebration of the birth of Mithra on December 21 in honor of the old gods.
Today, the majority of Iran’s population are Muslim but they still celebrate pagan traditions. Yalda Night is the longest evening of the year by one minute. For Iranians, it is a night of eating, celebrating, and telling stories until the early morning.
Other than Iran, Yalda is observed in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Greeks did not worship Mithra because he had been the god of their enemies, the Persians. But, from 136 CE onward, there are hundreds of dedicatory inscriptions to Mithra in the Roman world. It is difficult to explain the reason for their interest, but it was mostly the nobles who celebrated Mithra’s birthday.
For some Romans, the celebration was the most sacred day of the year.
Is Yalda the Origin of Christmas?
Some scholars believe that the pagan Yalda celebration might be the origin of Christmas.
According to some accounts, in the 4th century CE, because of errors in counting leap years, the birthday of Mithra shifted to December 25.
Until that time, the birthday of Jesus Christ was celebrated on January 6 by the Eastern Christian Churches. But the religion of most of the Romans and the people of the western part of Europe was still Mithraism.
When Christianity spread, the priests could not stop people from celebrating Mithra’s birthday on December 25. Mithraism was a rival to Christianity. So, they declared this day to be Jesus’s birthday.
By holding Christmas at the same time as the traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced but gave up attempting to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religions.
Anthropologist James George Frazer, the influential author of The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion, wrote, “Thus it appears that the Christian Church chose to celebrate the birthday of its Founder on the twenty-fifth of December to transfer the devotion of the heathen from the Sun to him who was called the Sun of Righteousness.”
The Christmas Tree
Long before the advent of Christianity, plants, and trees that remained green all year round had a special meaning for people in the winter.
In ancient Persia, Yalda festivities were symbolized by an evergreen tree. Young girls wrapped their wishes in silk cloth and hung them on the tree. Eventually, it became a custom to place gifts under the evergreen tree.
In the 16th century in Germany, devout Christians began bringing decorated trees into their homes, thus starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it.
The first record of one being on display in the United States was in the 1830s when a tree was erected by German settlers in Pennsylvania. The German settlements in Pennsylvania had community trees. However, until the 1840s, Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German consort, Prince Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike previous monarchs, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable not only in Britain but with East Coast American society.
The Christmas tree had arrived.
What does Yalda Mean to Iranians?
Yalda remains one of the most important feasts in Iran. In 2001, The New York Times published a story I wrote about the significance of the celebrations.
On the evening of December 21 or Yalda night, families of all faiths gather at an elder’s house to celebrate the start of longer days and to prepare for a cold winter.
Daytime was considered good by ancient Persians because it was a time for work, unlike the evening, when people had to light fires to keep evil spirits away. The dawn represented the victory of good over bad, an opportunity for work, which deserved to be celebrated.
At Yalda, families feast on nuts, dried fruit, watermelon, and pomegranates. They believed that watermelon kept people healthy in the wintertime. The red seeds of the pomegranate symbolize fertility, rebirth, and life.
In the weeks leading to Yalda night, shops around the country display signs advertising watermelons preserved in industrial refrigerators. Iranian state television broadcasts programs about the Yalda feast. An actor or anchor is often shown reading poetry while sitting behind a table covered with flowers, pomegranates, nuts, and a chopped watermelon.
Because December 21 is the longest and darkest night, it has come to symbolize many things in Persian poetry, such as separation from a loved one, loneliness, and waiting. Saadi Shiraz, a 13th-century Persian poet, wrote:
“The sight of you each morning is a New Year
Any night of your departure is the eve of Yalda.”
“With all my pains, there is still the hope of recovery
Like the eve of Yalda, there will finally be an end.”
How is Yalda Celebrated?
The feast aims to keep you in the company of your loved ones and to protect you from the loneliness of the longest night of the year.
An Iranian-American blogger who grew up in the US and moved to Iran, describes the celebrations in simple steps:
- Set the table
You need a coffee table large enough that everyone can sit around it.
- Munch on red fruit and nuts
You need to put on the table bowls of red fruit, specifically watermelon and pomegranate. Pomegranate is considered a heavenly fruit in Persian culture.
- Get divine guidance from Persian poets
Poetry has a special place in Persian culture. It was the main way for Persians to preserve their culture and the Persian language over centuries of invasions. Reading poetry is an integral part of the Yalda celebration.
- Feast on Persian dishes
People from different parts of the country prepare different dishes for this night, but ash-e-reshteh appears to be common. This thick bean and noodle soup is topped with kashk (a whey product) and yummy fried onions and mint.
- Sip bottomless glasses of tea
The longest night of the year calls for glass after glass of cardamom-infused Persian tea!
- Enjoy time with your family and friends
Some people have called Yalda the Iranians’ belated Thanksgiving. Be grateful for being surrounded by your loved ones, be thankful for the previous year’s blessings, and say a little prayer that 2022 will bring health and prosperity.
Time to Abandon Haji Firouz’s Blackface
March 7, 2021–
By: Nazila Fathi
Nowruz is approaching and Haji Firouz, the legendary character who spreads joy before the Persian new year, will once again hit the streets.
There is one problem: his blackface.
Haji Firouz is a folk character who heralds spring and the Persian new year. Men, and even women in recent years, dress up as him by painting their faces with soot and wearing bright red clothing. They dance in the streets of Iran, singing joyous songs and playing a tambourine or drum in the hope that they will receive some coins for providing entertainment.
Outside Iran, Iranian communities have not shied away from blackface Haji Firouz . In Canada, stores sell decorative figures and, in Europe, Iranian communities post pictures of their Haji Firouz on their websites.
However, inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement, many are saying that blackface is a sign of racism. Inside and outside Iran, people are calling it a blatant sign of white supremacy.
“If we are truly in a globalized world, goes the counter-argument, we should disband traditions that reinforce implicit hierarchies and biases, and that get fed so easily to children,” wrote Abbas Jamali, a New York-based Iranian designer.
Morteza Moshtaghi, a theatre director in Iran, said it was time to forget about Haji Firouz altogether.
Haji Firouz’s Black Face
Some prominent scholars argue that Haji Firouz is based on the legend of Siavash in the Shahnameh, the Book of Kings. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and is reborn at the beginning of the new year. The most common explanation for Haji Firouz’s blackened face is that it symbolizes the god’s return from the world of the dead, while his red clothing is a sign of Siavash’s red blood and the coming back to life of the sacrificed deity. His joviality is a reminder of nature’s awakening and the coming of spring.
However, some historians and scholars have offered other explanations for his blackface. They say that Haji Firouz goes back to the days of Zoroastrian Persia, when the priests sent the red-dressed ”firekeepers” of the Zoroastrian temples on the last Tuesday of the year to spread the news of the arrival of spring and Nowruz. The firekeeper’s second duty was to call on the people to burn their old items.
The fire keepers’ faces were black from the soot of the holy fire, according to this narrative.
But Haji Firouz has other names too: Haji Pirouz. Haji is a title given to a person who has gone on pilgrimage to the Arabian Peninsula, or the country we call Saudi Arabia today. Islam emerged 1400 years ago, and it is unlikely that Muslims were fire-keepers in Zoroastrian temples.
So, where does the name Haji Pirouz come from?
Anti-Arab Sentiment
Another narrative claims that the origins of Haji Firouz go back to the Persians’ anti-Arab sentiment following the fall of the Persian Empire.
Fifteen years after the Arabs ruled Persia, the successor of Prophet Mohammad, Omar, who had invaded Persia, was killed in the Arabian Peninsula.
The Persians condemned him for invading Persia and the death of many people. Thus, they proclaimed his assassin, a Persian slave named Pirouz Nahavandi, a national hero.
According to Abolhassan Zarinkoub, a prominent Iranian scholar, the name “Haji Pirouz” was first used in the days following the death of Omar. They gave Nahavandi the title Haji because he had gone to the Arabian Peninsula. There is no letter P in the Arabic and so “Pirouz” gradually became “Firouz.” He wears a red outfit because the Persians were still at war with the Arabs and red was the color of war in Persia.
“Pirouz” also means victory in Persian.
However, this explanation does not explain Haji Firouz’s coal-black face nor shed light on the lyrics of his music.
A Reference to Black Slaves
Haji Firouz spreads cheer with a lyric that appears to be a conversation with his owner:
My master, raise your head high
My master, look at yourself
My master, the billy-goat
My master, why don’t you laugh?
While one can argue that Haji Firouz is talking to the Arab rulers of the time, his blackened face is a reminder of Iran’s shameful slave history.
The majority of Afro-Iranians came to Iran during the ninth century, when Afro-Arab merchants dominated the Indian Ocean slave trade between East Africa and the Middle East. The presence of African slaves was widespread throughout the Middle East and virtually every country bordering the Persian Gulf has a legacy of slavery and African population, like the Afro-Iraqis, Afro-Pakistanis, Afro-Kuwaitis, Afro-Omanis, and Afro-Saudis.
Slavery persisted as a legal practice in Iran until 1929, when parliament introduced a bill that granted slaves freedom and declared them equal to all other Iranians. Many Afro-Iranians settled in southern regions bordering the Persian Gulf after their emancipation and assimilated into the local culture (Census records do not adequately report the numbers of Afro-Iranians, and statistical information on their communities is largely unavailable).
Akhavan Sales, a prominent poet, called Haji Firouz a reminder “of a hateful barbaric era” many years ago.
An Ancient Tradition
Nowruz, known as the Persian new year, is one of the most ancient celebrations in history. It has been celebrated for over 4000 years. Nowruz is a holiday for millions of people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, who usher in the new year on the spring equinox, which occurs on March 20 or 21 every year.
Nowruz is still the most important celebration for Iranians, as well as for some 300 million people in the neighboring countries from different ethnic and religious backgrounds that were once part of the Persian Empire.
While the physical region called Persia no longer exists, the traditions of Nowruz are strong among people in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Canada, and the United States.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 International Nowruz Day in 2020 and UNESCO listed Nowruz as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
In ancient times, Persian kings invited people from around the empire to the royal court to celebrate Nowruz and to bring gifts.
Over time Nowruz has become the embodiment and essence of the Iranian culture. It is not just a celebration of the new year; it is the symbol that proclaims that the people who lived in these regions have not given up their ancient traditions.
Nowruz signifies opposition to foreign invaders too, having survived the Greek, Arab, and Mongol invasions.
In the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the appearance of Haji Firouz , singing and dancing in the streets, was among the early signs of opposition to the Islamic rulers who deemed Nowruz to be a pagan celebration.
Some parts of traditions have changed in different parts and evolved throughout the years in different parts of the world. Haji Firouz might be one of them.
All Cultures change over time and get rid of traditions that are no longer considered appropriate.
We live in a world where information spreads fast and far on social media. It is embarrassing to celebrate an ancient tradition with a symbol that is considered insulting and dehumanizing in many parts of the world.
Haji Firouz is not an inseparable part of Nowruz traditions. If it must be part of the celebrations, it is time to abandon blackface.
Hammam, A Place to Mingle and Relax
Next time you take a shower think of public bathhouses or Hammams which were common in the Middle East and North Africa until less than half a century ago.
We think of bathing as a private activity. But going to the bathhouse was more than going to a place for sanitation. It was a hugely important part of people’s social life.
It required packing a bag of clean clothes and other essentials, entering a warm hall with arched ceilings and tiled walls, drinking tea before shedding your clothes, and soaking in warm water, and perhaps having someone scrub dead skin off your skin. People chitchatted, surveyed one another in complete nakedness before getting dressed and socializing a bit more.
The entire ritual could take half a day.
In fact, Hammams were important social institutions. They were as important as the bazaar, the mosque, and schools. They were named after governors and architects who ensured they were built exquisitely and beautifully.
Hammams have become a popular destination for modern western tourists too. Viking Ocean Cruises calls Turkish baths a place to soothe both body and mind. Hammams offer therapy, it claims.
In Iran and other countries, many important political events took place in Hammams. Amir Kabir, a beloved prime minister, was murdered in the Finn Hammam in the city of Kashan in 1852. Tourists flock to this bathhouse, located in the corner of a walled garden, to see where the prime minister slowly bled to death.
The Stories of Hammams
Hammams were segregated by gender.
Women visited bathhouses to clean, relax, and mingle. They got haircuts, clipped their nails, exfoliated, and removed excessive hair. In complete nakedness, they searched for potential brides for young and old men in their families.
Brides spent a good amount of time in the bathhouse a day before their wedding.
Men negotiated business and discussed politics.
Hammams served as wellness centers for people to get traditional medical treatments like massage, bloodletting, cupping, and circumcision.
The walls of every bathhouse echo laughter, gossip, and tales.
And that is why Hammam is the main scene of Nastouh fictional story.
Nastouh was a man who disguised himself as a female worker at a hammam. Because the workers were dressed, he was able to hide his gender for a long time. He took pleasure in touching naked women, including a favorite client, the king’s daughter.
One day, the king’s daughter lost a piece of jewelry at the bathhouse. To retrieve it, she ordered everyone, including the workers, to undress. Nastouh knew he could lose his head if anyone found out his secret. So, he trembled and repented from the bottom of his heart. Luckily, the princess found her jewelry before Nastouh had to undress.
After the incident, he withdrew to the mountains and began a life of stoicism. But since then, “Nastouh’s repentance,” meaning God accepts true remorse, according to the story, became an expression.
Inside a Hammam
People of upper and lower social classes entered a bathhouse from different entrances. But once they were inside and took off their clothes, they were all on the same level. The clergy and the merchant, who enjoyed a higher social standing, bathed in the same place with farmers and blacksmiths.
Traditional Persian bathhouses usually had four main spaces. The purpose was to prepare the body as people moved from a cool area to warm and then hot rooms gradually.
The four sections included:
Sardkhaneh or the Cold Room: The first room was cold and dry and had an octagonal shape. It had a domed roof with furniture and carpets where people could undress. There were cubicle spaces, like changing rooms, for more privacy.
Mian Dar: This room was cold and wet and functioned as the connection between the Cold Room and the Warm Room. This space was like a maze to help prevent the heat and energy in the next room from being wasted.
Garmkhaneh or the Warm Room: The third room was warm and wet and the bathing took place there.
Khazineh: This is where there was a large cold or hot water tank, similar to today’s Jacuzzi pools.
The History of Hammams
The Romans were the first people to make public baths. They were common throughout the Roman Empire in a geographic range stretching from Europe to North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. Roman baths generally featured a reception room which led to a hot room called a caldarium, a warm room, or tepidarium, and a cold room known as a frigidarium. Visitors moved through these rooms, where temperature changes stimulated the flow of blood and encouraged the body to sweat out impurities. Some baths included areas where bathers could exercise.
While the tradition of public baths under the Romans slowly died out in the West, it continued over many centuries in the eastern Mediterranean.
In Persia, cleanliness and hygiene were already important in the pre-Islamic era with roots in the state religion of Zoroastrianism. In all pre-Islamic religions like Zoroastrianism bathing was one of the necessary conditions for participating in ceremonies. Archeologists found signs that similar baths existed in Persepolis and concluded that the construction of public baths was common in all cities of Iran since the Achaemenid era.
But Islam attached more importance to bating and brought a whole new ritual that became prevalent in the Muslim world. During the Islamic period, especially during the Safavid era, as reported by Jean Chardin in his book The Travels of Sir John Chardin, there were more than 270 public bathhouses only in the city of Isfahan.
The number shows the significance of sanitation but also the high level of urban development of the city in that era.
Different Kinds of Baths
It is important to note that kings and noble families had private bathhouses. The rest of the people went to public Hammams.
These baths became an important part of community life, and the quality and number of baths counted among any city’s most admired attributes. Medieval authors mention hammams alongside mosques, madrasas or religious schools, and gardens in their descriptions of beautiful and prosperous cities.
Depending on their use there could be different kinds of public bathhouses in a city. Some of them can be categorized as follow:
Bazaar Bathhouses: These bathhouses were usually located in the city center and were a part of a bigger complex consisting of a mosque, a bazaar, and sometimes a religious school, and they were used by citizens and locals but mostly they were men-only bathhouses.
One such Hammam is the famous bathhouse of Ganjali Khan in the city of Kerman. Paintings based on the Book of Kings decorate the walls of this four-hundred-year-old bathhouse.
City Gate Bathhouses: You could find these types of public bathhouses at the entrance of large cities which foreigners, merchants, tourists, and students often visited. They were usually located near the city gate to provide a washing and cleaning spot for the visitors before entering it.
The existence of these bathhouses highlights the emphasis on hygiene and efforts to curb contagious diseases that travelers could spread.
Caravanserai Bathhouses: Caravanserais were roadside establishments built to accommodate travelers on their long trips. Along with other convenience facilities, they usually had bathhouses to provide guests with an appropriate place to wash and clean themselves. The water used in the caravanserai bathhouse was supplied by Qanat, an underground tunnel leads the water from the heights to the surface of the ground sustainably.
Hot Spring Bathhouses: People used natural hot springs as a place for bathing, especially in the Qajar period.
