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07:30 PM » Yalda in Portland, OR

http://www.persia.pdx.edu/Yalda, Winter Solstice Celebration: A Night with Persian Mystic Poets Hafiz and Rumi, December 16, 2006, 7:30p.m.
Multicultural Center (Room 228), Smith Memorial Student Union Building
Portland State University
1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97207
Admission is free. All are welcome.
Yalda has been a traditional feast of Persia since the time of Zarathustra. The word Yalda has the same origin as the commonly used word ‘tavallud’, i.e. birthday. In literature about Yalda there are references to Mithra, the Persian Sun God, whose birthday coincides with the ancient celebration of the Winter Solstice on December 21st. Being the longest night of the year, the night of December 21st is believed to be a cold and dark night (shab-i siyah-uw sard/shab-i chillih) in which the evil forces personified by Ahriman are at the peak of their strength. To ward off these forces Persians stay awake, kindle candles, tell stories, and recite from the mystical verses of Hafiz with hopes of seeing the dawn after Yalda and foreseeing a bright future. Therefore the end of the night represents the victory over the forces of evil by the forces of good personified by Ahura Mazda and this may be observed in nature as of the 22nd of December when the days get longer and the nights shorter.
[The Mysteries of Mithra by Franz Cumont has some references to Mithraism and above-mentioned points]

Every year Persia House celebrates Yalda, Winter Solstice in the Third week of December at Portland State University from 7:30 to 10:30pm. On this night the great thirteenth-century Persian mystic poets Hafiz and Rumi are honored.