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Nemat Tavousi M. Forgotten Narrative of Shab-e Chell-e. Anthropol Stud 2020; 3 (2) :154-165
URL: http://pc.richt.ir/article-4-468-en.html

Shab-e-Yalda (Yalda Night) also known as Shab-e Chelleh is annually celebrated on December 21^st by Iranians all around the world. The origin of this occasion is a controversial issue. Some believe it goes back to Zoroastrian feasts and others attributed it to Iranian Mithraism. The evidence these scholars refer could not be considered as a strong evidence, rather they are actually hypotheses in need of more attestations to be proved. This research aimed to survey these two-view point and find a reasonable framework to explain the origin of Yalda-night. Based on living heritage of Iranian small cities and villages, especially in west, north-west and central area, segments of a narrative on death and revival of earth, from winter solstice to around forty days after that can be identified. This narrative belongs mostly to farmers. They believe on the winter solstice the earth stops breathing. After forty days of the beginning of winter or several days more, the earth breathing begins covertly, and little by little the obvious breath of the earth can be sensed. Therefore, it seems the feast and customs of Yalda Night is related to the narrative that interprets the death and revival of the earth, and can be as old as agriculture.