Yalda 2026: When Is the Longest Night?
Yalda Night 2026 begins at sunset on Monday 21 December and lasts until dawn on Tuesday 22 December. It is the eve of 30 Azar 1405 in the Iranian calendar, and this year the winter solstice itself arrives during the night, at 00:20 Tehran time.
Yalda 2026: When Is the Longest Night?
When is Yalda 2026?
In Iran, Yalda (Shab-e Chelleh) is always the last night of autumn: the night between 30 Azar and 1 Dey. In 2026 that is the night of Monday 21 December into Tuesday 22 December. Families gather after sunset, eat red fruit, read Hafez and try to stay awake past midnight.
The astronomical December solstice occurs on 21 December 2026 at 20:50 UTC. In Tehran (UTC+3:30, with no daylight saving since 2022) that is 00:20 on 22 December, so this year the turning point of the sun falls in the middle of the Yalda vigil itself.
The solstice moment in your city
The solstice is a single instant worldwide, but the local clock time differs. The table gives the moment for cities with large Iranian, Afghan and Tajik communities. Most families outside Iran still celebrate on the evening of 21 December, and many community events move to the nearest weekend, Saturday 19 December 2026.
| City | Local time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Tehran (UTC+3:30) | 00:20 | Tue 22 December |
| Kabul (UTC+4:30) | 01:20 | Tue 22 December |
| Dushanbe (UTC+5) | 01:50 | Tue 22 December |
| London (GMT) | 20:50 | Mon 21 December |
| Paris / Berlin (CET) | 21:50 | Mon 21 December |
| Toronto / New York (EST) | 15:50 | Mon 21 December |
| Los Angeles (PST) | 12:50 | Mon 21 December |
| Sydney (AEDT) | 07:50 | Tue 22 December |
Why the date is fixed in Iran but moves in December
The Iranian solar calendar is tied to the sun: its year starts at the spring equinox and its months follow the seasons. Yalda is therefore always the eve of 1 Dey, the first day of winter. In the Gregorian calendar the same night lands on 20 or 21 December depending on the year.
The word chelleh means 'forty'. Yalda opens the chelleh-ye bozorg, the 'great forty' coldest nights of winter, which run to about 30 January. A shorter 'small forty' (chelleh-ye kuchak) of twenty days follows.
| Year | Yalda night (Iran) | Iranian date | Solstice (UTC) | Solstice (Tehran) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21–22 December | 30 Azar 1405 | 21 Dec, 20:50 | 22 Dec, 00:20 |
| 2027 | 21–22 December | 30 Azar 1406 | 22 Dec, 02:42 | 22 Dec, 06:12 |
| 2028 | 20–21 December | 30 Azar 1407 | 21 Dec, 08:19 | 21 Dec, 11:49 |
| 2029 | 20–21 December | 30 Azar 1408 | 21 Dec, 14:14 | 21 Dec, 17:44 |
| 2030 | 21–22 December | 30 Azar 1409 | 21 Dec, 20:09 | 21 Dec, 23:39 |
How to celebrate Yalda 2026
A Yalda evening needs no special equipment, only people, red fruit, something warm to eat and a book of poetry. The classic sequence is simple:
- Visit the oldest relative: younger families go to the grandparents, not the other way round.
- Lay a table with watermelon, pomegranate, mixed nuts (ajil), persimmons and sweets.
- Share a warm dinner, then tea through the evening.
- Tell stories or read from the Shahnameh while you wait for midnight.
- At midnight, each person makes a silent wish and opens the Divan of Hafez for a fal.
- Stay up as late as you can: the longest night is not meant to be slept through.
More Yalda guides
Frequently asked questions
Related reading
Iran's winter-solstice festival — pomegranate, watermelon and Hafez on the longest night of the year. UNESCO 2022.
What goes on a Yalda table and why: watermelon, pomegranate with golpar, seven-nut ajil, persimmons, dinner dishes and sweets, with a shopping list and plant-based options.
Fal-e Hafez is the Persian custom of opening the Divan of Hafez at random for guidance. How to do it step by step, the opening invocation, its history and how to read the answer.
Nowruz, Yalda, Mehregan, Sadeh, Tirgan — the ceremonial year.
The supreme lyric poet of Persian — 500 ghazals, the fāl-e Hafez tradition, and the poet Goethe called his twin.
Saffron, rice, kebab, stews, tea and sofreh — the Persian table.