Yalda, Christmas, Iranians, and Mithraism The Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda), also known as the Chelleh Night (Shab-e Chelleh) or Zayeshmehr, has been one of the most important celebrations in Persia since at least 5,000 years ago. Yalda Night is an Aryan celebration, and followers of Mithraism have held its traditions since the ancient time in Persia. Yalda Night is the Persian Winter Solstice Celebration. Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere’s longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice. Yalda means “Birth”, and is a “Birthday Celebration”. It’s birthday of Mithra or Mehr, the ancient Persian god of light, wisdom, and sun. As we said before, The two Persian religions, Mithraism and Zoroastrianism are among the oldest religion in the world. Zoroastrianism is the first monolithic religion in the world. Mithraism and Zoroastrianism both influenced a lot of following religions -including Christianity. Many ancient religious traditions in Persia are global traditions now . When Romans accepted Christianity, about 300 years after birth of Jesus Christ, churches determined Mithra or Mehr (sun) Birth Celebration as birthday of Jesus Christ, since the exact date of his birth was unclear. When Mithraism was transferred from ancient Persia to other parts of the world, many Europeans celebrated December 21 as Jesus Christ Birthday, but from 4th Century onward due to some mistakes in calculation, Christmas day was determined December 25. In fact, Christmas night was Yalda night. Some ask sarcastically: “Is everything Persian?” Will Durant, in “The Story of Civilizaiton” (volume 1) writes: “Where did civilization begin? Where is Cradle of Civilization ? It’s unanswerable. But the arid regions of central Asia [Persia] were once moist and temperate, nourished with great lakes and abundant streams. The recession of the last ice wave slowly dried up this area, until the rainfall was insufficient to support all cities. In the ancient Persia, at Susa [and also at Jiroft (Kerman), and at Marlik (Gilan), and other regions], in remains of a culture which belongs to 9000 BC to 4000 BC, we find the cultivation of wheat, barley and millet, the use of copper, the domestication of animals, and the ornamentation of pottery in styles so conventionalized as to suggest an artistic background and tradition of many centuries. Our story begins with the Orient, not merely because Asia was the scene of the oldest civilizations known to us, but because those civilizations formed the background and basis of that Greek and Roman culture. Our science, our literature, our philosophy and our religion, go back to the Orient [mainly Persia]“ There are many similarities between the Mithraic and Christian traditions. Some experts say: “Mithra’s date of birth, became that of Christianity. Sunday (day of the sun), holiday of the Mithraists, became the holiday of the Christians. The Virgin Birth, Resurrection, Satan, Heaven, Hell, Limbo, Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and many other things like holy bread, holy water, the candles used for Christmas, etc are remaining of Mithraism and Zoroastrianism”. Even the first Greek historians, like Xenophon in 2500 years ago, have written about this fact that Mithra is an Iranian god, but some stupid scholars in the 19th and 20th centuries, who were the puppet of the politicians tried to change the history. The exact date of Jesus birth is unclear. Some say: “If the accounts in the Bible are correct, the time of Jesus birth would have been closer to mid-summer, for this is when shepherds would have been ‘tending their flocks in the field’ and the new lambs were born”. But there is not doubt that Mithraism was the major religion in the Roman Empire before Christianity, and choosing 25th December as Christ’s birthday was because of Yalda and Mirthra’s birthday. But some scholars that were politicians’ puppets tried to say that Mithraism is a Roman cult, not a Persian cult. In the ancient Persian literature you can find many things and many references to the Mithra and Mirthaism (“Kishe Mehr”). The ancient Persian myths is full of stories about Mithra or Mehr. There are also many old Persian texts, known as Pahlavi texts, that belong to 3000 to 4000 years ago and talk about Mithra. Iranians also have a holy book named “Avesta” that belongs to 4000 years ago. In the Avesta, the sacred Zoroastrian writings of the ancient Persians, Mithra appears as the chief Yazata, or good spirit, and ruler of the world. In Zoroastrianism, together with Rashnu ‘Justice’ and Sraosha (Soroush) “Obedience”, Mithra is one of the three judges at the Chinvat bridge, the “bridge of separation” that all souls must cross. In the Zoroastrian calendar, the 16th day of the month and the 7th month of the year are dedicated to, and under the protection of Mithra or Mehr. Some believe the Greeks of Asia Minor accepted Mithraism in the Persian Empire in 7th to 4th century BC, and helped to spread the cult (, and also changed parts of it). Others believe that Mithraism was brought to Rome in 1st century BC.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 00:31:04 +0000
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