Yalda Night in Tehran
Yalda Night in Tehran
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Shirin, an eight‑year‑old Iranian‑American girl, travels to Tehran with her mother for the very first time — right on Yalda Night, the longest night of the year.
Her grandparents are waiting for them at the airport.
On the way from the airport to the city, Shirin looks carefully at the Persian signs and billboards.
She cannot read any of them, so she makes a promise to herself:
one day she will learn Persian.
When she enters her grandfather’s house, she is greeted with four surprises:
1.A delicious Iranian breakfast prepared by her grandmother.
2. A beautiful Iranian cat in the courtyard — named Youtab — who quickly becomes her friend.
3. The traditional Iranian architecture of the house, full of colors and patterns.
4. Her mother’s old childhood bicycle, repaired by her grandfather so Shirin can use it during her stay.
Shirin goes with her grandfather to Tajrish Bazaar to shop for Yalda.
There, she learns about Iranian traditions connected to Yalda Night —
the longest night of the year, eating pomegranates and watermelons,
reading Hafez, reading Shahnameh, and taking a Hafez fortune.
She also makes new friends.
On the morning of Yalda, Shirin attends a children’s Yalda festival in one of Tehran’s shopping malls.
She makes Yalda bracelets, designs watermelon crafts, and then gets her face painted with Yalda‑themed designs.
Throughout all these adventures, Youtab, her grandfather’s courtyard cat, stays by her side —
and Shirin captures her entire journey to Tehran through her drawings.