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Holidays:  Winter Solstice Feast-Shab-E Yalda  |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4759 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4759 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 16 2012 : 07:56:37 AM
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I am busy putting together my holiday menus. I am going to be quite busy with all the cooking and baking for the solstice, Christmas Eve and Day meals. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed already, but will do my best to make each holiday meal something to remember! I had posted this here a few years ago & thought some of the newer farmgirls might like to read it:
In Iran (my husband is originally from Tehran) they have a winter feast to celebrate the solstice. It is called Sahb-E Yalda, which means rebirth of the sun. It was considered a battle between dark and light, light triumphing in the end.
Bonfires are lit outside while families gather inside for a night-long vigil. A low square table is covered with a thick cloth & a brazier with hot coals is placed under the table. The oldest family members saved fruit & vegetables for everyone to enjoy.
The oldest member of the family says prayers, thanks God for the previous year's crops & prays for the prosperity of next year's harvest. Then with a sharp knife, thick yogurt, melon & watermelon are cut & given to the family. The cutting symbolizes the removal of sickness & pain for the family.
There are many fruits, nuts, and main dishes that are eaten that have different symbolic meanings too. Poetry is recited & music played. Stories and jokes are told as well. People talk until the sun, triumphantly returns in the morning.
We celebrate here on a more modest scale of dinner & music by our fireplace. I hope everyone has a triumphant solstice too!
Sahar (Persian for Dawn) in IL |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Dec 16 2012 : 08:23:30 AM
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Good morning Sahar! I love that you share your celebration with us. You sound like you'll be a busy lady with the feast preparations. Maybe at some point when you are too busy, I could wheedle you into sharing a few recipes 
I love all celebrations and I celebrate all that I can, life is too darned short not to right? 
Winter Soltice is one of my favorite earth celebrations! When I lived on the Pacific coast, I would have a sometimes overnight beach camp-out on the winter solstice with warm parkas, quilts, a bonfire, roasting marshmallows and other such fun! It's a bit too cold for MY tastes in North Idaho to do that but I still have a Solstice party most years and my hubs and I have a solstice celebration dinner as as part of our weeks long holiday season celebrations.
We have a non-alcoholic drink that we share called Sun Punch, which is orange sherbet and ginger ale, that we have to finish off our dinner. It's yummy
When it's clear out we wrap up and sit on the porch with mugs of something warm and star watch!
Many blessing to you and your family!
Hugs n' cookies =}
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
http://thegimpyfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://pinterest.com/annikaloveshats/
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4759 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4759 Posts |
Posted - Dec 16 2012 : 8:03:12 PM
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Thanks Anna! Your celebrations sound wonderful. Very similar to the Persian ones. Many blessing to you & yours too!
Dawn in IL |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Dec 17 2012 : 6:56:58 PM
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| Yay for Winter Solstice! It's so interesting that the Persian celebration is like the old Irish one that I grew up with. I guess the idea is universal. In our home, the Solstice feast always includes golden foods :) I'd love to know about your meaningful entrees. If you get a few minutes (HA HA HA!!!), maybe you could share? |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4313 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4313 Posts |
Posted - Dec 18 2012 : 04:10:00 AM
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best wishes for all your celebrations ladies. Sounds like you better share some recipes Dawn!
Michele |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4759 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4759 Posts |
Posted - Dec 21 2012 : 2:01:37 PM
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Tonight we are dining on chicken and saffron rice with an eggplant garnish. For dessert I have grapes, rice cream (flavored with rosewater) and nuts. If anyone is interested, I am willing to share the recipe, but I warn you, they aren't for the faint of heart! The chicken and saffron rice takes about 5 hours to make! The dessert is super easy though to compensate for the entree. I need to take a break somewhere right? I didn't buy the traditional watermelon and pomegranates. They aren't very tasty this time of year. The chicken & saffron rice dish has a yogurt sauce baked over them that we use for the "cutting away sickness & pain" part of our dinner.
The sun arrived this morning here in the Chicago area! It was a relief to see, I hope it comes back daily for us. Happy winter solstice!
Dawn in IL |
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Tea Lady
True Blue Farmgirl
645 Posts
Lorraine
Morris
IL
USA
645 Posts |
Posted - Dec 28 2012 : 06:46:36 AM
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Hi Dawn,
I hope your winter celebrations and feasts were wonderful. They sound great... We also celebrate the Winter solstice, along with Christmas. It was so mild that we decided to have a small outside fire. It was nice - all bundled up, drinking hot tea... It makes me more aware of my connections with the earth when I am outside at night during winter. There's truly something magical about it.
Take care and thanks for sharing - sounds lovely...
Lorraine
(aka Tea Lady)
Farmgirl #1819
www.birdsandteas.com |
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Holidays: Winter Solstice Feast-Shab-E Yalda |
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Winter Solstice Feast-Shab-E Yalda
