Yalda night as the night of beginning Chella
Author(s)
Title
Yalda night as the night of beginning Chella
Alternative Title
Шаби Ялдо - шаби оғози Чилла
Publication Type
Language
tgk
Location
Tajikistan
Keywords
Yalda
Chella
Traditional calendar
Event
Night
Yalda ritual
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding
Description
The book "Yalda night as the night of beginning Chella" is a continuation of the books from the series "Researches on celebrations and ceremonies of Tajiks.".
Yalda night, according to the traditional Tajik calendars, belongs to the time between sunset, from December 21—the last day of autumn—to sunrise—the first day of winter. This night is the longest and darkest night of the year, after which the day becomes longer and the night shorter. The ancestors of Tajiks have been keeping watch over this ceremony for many centuries and spend the night of Yalda with their family and relatives until early morning. This ritual is popular among the Tajik mountain people to this day, but with another name—Chella night. According to the local folk tale of the mountain people, winter is divided into "Big Chella" and "Small Chella," and Yalda night is exactly the night of the beginning of the, that is, December 22, and continues until January 30/31.
In the culture of the Tajik people, there are also some customs and beliefs that are related to the ancient Iranian religion of Mithraism and Yalda. For example, in Badakhshan of Tajikistan, in the district of Ishkoshim, people had a holiday around December 22-25, due to the onset of Chella. In other regions, for example, in the valleys of Hisar, Rasht, and Zarafshan, they honored the beginning of the Chella night with a night party and expressed their wishes by decorating the Chella table and reading literary and religious books.
In recent years, the celebration of Yalda night in Tajikistan as the longest night of the year and the beginning of the Big Chella has increased. For example, in the cities of Dushanbe, Khujand, and Istaravshan, people celebrate this good tradition of their ancestors. The dinner table is opened, and watermelons and pomegranates are placed on it as the main and symbolic elements of Yalda. They organize an event of poems, songs, and music.
Yalda night, according to the traditional Tajik calendars, belongs to the time between sunset, from December 21—the last day of autumn—to sunrise—the first day of winter. This night is the longest and darkest night of the year, after which the day becomes longer and the night shorter. The ancestors of Tajiks have been keeping watch over this ceremony for many centuries and spend the night of Yalda with their family and relatives until early morning. This ritual is popular among the Tajik mountain people to this day, but with another name—Chella night. According to the local folk tale of the mountain people, winter is divided into "Big Chella" and "Small Chella," and Yalda night is exactly the night of the beginning of the, that is, December 22, and continues until January 30/31.
In the culture of the Tajik people, there are also some customs and beliefs that are related to the ancient Iranian religion of Mithraism and Yalda. For example, in Badakhshan of Tajikistan, in the district of Ishkoshim, people had a holiday around December 22-25, due to the onset of Chella. In other regions, for example, in the valleys of Hisar, Rasht, and Zarafshan, they honored the beginning of the Chella night with a night party and expressed their wishes by decorating the Chella table and reading literary and religious books.
In recent years, the celebration of Yalda night in Tajikistan as the longest night of the year and the beginning of the Big Chella has increased. For example, in the cities of Dushanbe, Khujand, and Istaravshan, people celebrate this good tradition of their ancestors. The dinner table is opened, and watermelons and pomegranates are placed on it as the main and symbolic elements of Yalda. They organize an event of poems, songs, and music.
Publisher
Istedod
Place of Publication
Tajikistan
Date of Publication
2022
ISBN
978-99985-904-4-1
Academic Field
Cultural Studies
History
Community/Ethnic Group
Dushanbe, Khujand, Istaravshan
Rural people
Contributor
Active Contribution
Tajikistan, FY 2024