Celebrating Yalda with Shahmaran: Winter Solstice, Grief, and Liberation in the Iranian Diaspora

In this episode of Halva for the Heart, I turn toward Shab-e Yalda, the ancient Iranian winter solstice holiday, and reflect on what it offers us as people living, grieving, and resisting in diaspora. I explore Yalda as a collective vigil through the longest night of the year, and how it initiates Chelleh-ye Bozorg: the 40 coldest, darkest days that mirror grief cycles, mourning traditions, and the necessity of communal care. Through the mythology of Shahmaran, the Kurdish queen of serpents, I reflect on winter as a sacred time for collapse, inner death work, and transformation personally, collectively, and politically.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• what Shab-e Yalda and Chelleh-ye Bozorg teach us about grief and survival
• how Yalda functions as a vigil and a form of ancestral death work
• why Shahmaran’s underground cavern mirrors the womb/tomb space of grief
• how Iranian mourning traditions align with seasonal cycles
• why rest, collapse, and community care are essential for sustainable liberation
• how Yalda invites solidarity, hope, and resistance in dark times

🌑 This episode is an invitation to soften into the darkness, gather in community, and trust that the sun—and liberation—will return.

Links:
📘 Shab-e Yalda Guidebook
🐍 The Omi Collective’s Shahmaran Azadi Zine & Talisman
❤️‍🩹 Join us in Dard-e Del
🗝️ Narinder Bazen's concept of Inner-Facing Death Work

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Learn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.com
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🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân