Today, 21^st December, 2024, marks the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere. The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of the Earth’s poles reach their maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere of the globe. Today marks mid-winter as also the shortest day and the longest night in the Northern hemisphere, celebrated with joy and feasting in several cultures, particularly in Iran, to celebrate re-birth of the sun and the beginning of longer days and shorter nights. The winter solstice is a reminder that even when things look the darkest, even for the longest time, there is always hope for things to brighten up gradually.

Birth Of The Sun

In the ancient Iranian culture, the winter solstice is regarded the ‘birth of the sun’, bringing light, life and energy to earth. In Mithraism (ancient form of worship in the pre-Christian era in Rome and Europe), 21^st December marked the birth of Mithra (Zoroastrian: Meher Yazata).

The winter solstice is the longest, darkest night in the Northern hemisphere. The sun, having moved south, continually for six months, makes it to its lowest point in the sky. Here, a curious phenomenon is observed. The sun stops moving south at least perceivably for three days. During this pause, the sun resides in the vicinity of the Southern Cross, or the Crux constellation, post which, on 25^th December, the sun starts moving north, promising longer days, warmth, and spring. Thus, on 21^st December, the Sun seemingly dies on the Crux Constellation (Crux, meaning Cross, is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped pattern, known as the Southern Cross), for three days, to be reborn or resurrected on 25^th December.

Yalda Feasting

Iranians celebrate this longest and darkest night of the year as Yalda. Since the first night (21^st December) is the longest, onwards from when days start gradually getting longer, it is believed to be the time for the birth /rebirth or resurrection of the sun.

Yalda night celebration, or Shabe Chelleh (the night marking end of autumn and the first forty days of winter), is one of the oldest Iranian traditions where families and friends gather, usually at the house of the eldest, and celebrate by eating, drinking and reciting poetry, especially verses of poet Hafez.

As the tradition is to eat and drink all things red, signifying life and vitality, on Yalda nights, Zoroastrians consume red wine and fruits like pomegranate and water melons and dry fruits. They also enjoy exotic broths and soups like Ash-e Anar (pomegranate soup with split peas, half-milled rice and various legumes) and Aash-e Choghandar (beetroot soup); or specials like Morgh Nardooni (pomegranate chicken stew), Khoresht Fesenjan (pomegranate and walnut stew), Kufteh-e Anar va Gerdu (pomegranate walnut and meatball stew) and Khoresht Anar Mosama (pomegranate and eggplant stew). These stews are enjoyed with Anar Polo (pomegranate rice). Just like stuffed chicken / turkey is enjoyed by families around Christmas, Iranians enjoy Morgh-e Shekam Por (stuffed chicken with aromatic herbs, wild sour plums, and sour pomegranate paste) around the Yalda feast.

Birth Of The Son Or Sun (of God)?

The term Yalda simply means ‘birth’ (denoting birth or rebirth of the sun). While Zoroastrians celebrate 21^st December as the symbolic and seasonal birth or re-birth of the Sun (a creation of God), Christians observe 25^th December as the birth of the Son of God (Jesus Christ).

In the fourth century AD, when Christianity replaced Mithraism in the Roman Empire, early Christians who lacked their own ritual traditions, absorbed most of the rituals and symbolic dates of the Mithraism followers. In particular, 25^th December, Mithra’s (unconquered/eternal sun) date of birth (which actually is 21^st December, but, became 25^th due to error of leap year intercalation), became the birth date of the ‘Son of God.’

Historically, 25^th December was chosen by Roman Emperor Aurelian, in 274 AD, to celebrate ‘Natalis Solis Invicti’, the birthday of the unconquered Sun, following the winter solstice.  The Church in Rome fixed the commemoration of the birth of Christ on this date, around 336 AD. Thus, the feast of Natalis (Natal) which means birth, was chosen as the date to commemorate the birth of the ‘Son of God’. For Christians, Christmas commemorates the birth of the ‘Son (of God)’, while for Zoroastrians, Yalda commemorates the birth of the ‘Sun (of God)’. Today is the day to revere both: the ‘Sun’ which is the source of light and life for everyone on earth and the ‘Son’ who sacrificed his life to bring the light of God to this world.

The Magi, Winter Solstice And The Christmas Story

In the western world, ‘Magi’ is associated with the Three Wise Men of the East who visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. The Magi or Magus were ancient Zoroastrian priests belonging to the Medes tribe from North-western Iran, well-versed in matters of astronomy and astrology. This is probably how they followed a star in their quest to find Jesus.

An interesting astronomical occurrence around the winter solstice and Christmas, is the star in the east, which according to Christmas lore, was followed by the three wise men – Sirius – the brightest star in the night sky. On 24^th December, Sirius aligns in Orion’s belt, with the three brightest stars – earlier called, ‘The Three Kings’ (later the three wise men). The three kings and the brightest star, Sirius, all point to the place of sunrise on 25^th December. This leads us to an astronomical hypothesis that the three kings (the three bright stars in Orion’s belt) followed the bright star in the east (Sirius) to locate the sunrise or the birth of the sun, in the mid-winter sky.

It is probable that the story of the three wise men visiting infant Jesus was woven around this astronomical phenomenon. However, the New Testament states the Magi were astronomers and astrologers who saw a special star, followed it and found the child (son of God), and presented him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Early Christians saw significance in each: gold for the King, frankincense for divinity and myrrh for human nature.

The Magi are often depicted looking like Arabs. But it must be remembered that for the first thousand years, the Magi were pictured correctly in all-white Persian attire. It is said that a Persian army once spared a Byzantine Church because of the fresco of the Magi on it. During the Middle-Ages, the Magi were portrayed like all ancient people in the dress of the period.

The alleged remains of the three Magi were brought to Constantinople by St. Helena, mother of Roman emperor Constantine the Great, then, later moved to Milan. In the 1100s, they became the property of Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, who handed these to the Archbishop of Cologne, Germany. A cathedral for the relics was built, where they still remain.

The Armenian Gospel of the Infancy even provides names for the three Magi as ‘Melchior’, who reigned over Persians; ‘Balthazar’, who reigned over Indians and ‘Gaspar’, who reigned over Arabians. When Jesus was born, the borders of the Roman Empire were located just outside Palestine in the Jordanian desert, where the Parthian Empire began to rise. It is widely believed that the Magi were present in that region, at the time of Jesus’ birth.