Ritual of Endurance – Yalda Night

Persian Poetry and Music with Mahsa Vahdat and Atabak Elyasi

As the year approaches its longest night, we gather to share stories, read poetry, listen to music, and keep one another company as we await the birth of the sun.

Yalda, meaning “birth,” is an ancient Persian celebration of the winter solstice and the turning point between darkness and light. Across generations, families and friends have gathered to mark this time of year, finding warmth in one another’s presence and comfort in the promise of a new dawn.

Through poetry, storytelling, and music, internationally acclaimed Iranian singer and musician Mahsa Vahdat, accompanied by musician, writer, and setar player Atabak Elyasi, invites us to honor the birth of the sun and welcome the return of light through an evening of memory, longing, hope, and renewal.

Together, we will explore the enduring power of poetry and song to hold our sorrows, awaken our dreams, and illuminate the path ahead. In a world that often asks us to endure darkness, gathering becomes a way of keeping the light alive within ourselves and between us.

May words and melodies bring us closer, warm our hearts through the darkness, and give us courage to imagine a brighter future.

Let us gather in the spirit of Yalda to honor the endurance that carries us through the darkness, celebrate the light we hold within us, and welcome the dawn yet to come.

This event will include approx. 1 hour of poetry and live music and end with 30 minutes of conversation between artists and guests.