The Night of Yalda

Experience the gorgeous centuries-old Persian and Afghan traditions marking the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Hear traditional stories and poetry, sample festive foods, and luxuriate in the music of Yalda, the time when families stay up late into the night with friends and family to mark the changing of the seasons. The beautiful poetry of Hafez will be recited in both Farsi and English, with explanations on the subtle meaning, symbolism, and cultural aspects of the poems, and stories will be shared about Yalda Nights past and present by those who carry on this special tradition far from their homelands.

Please join cultural interpreter Sahar Maqsoodi, storyteller Muhadissa Sarwari, poetry readers Abdulrahim Ahmad Parwani and AJ Hashimi, and musical performances by celebrated Afghan singer Farzana Nawabi and musicians Meysam Khatamnia and Munir Ibrahimi, with a few surprises to spice up the night!

Co-Presented by Right to Learn Afghanistan and Secret Lantern Society.

Event Notes / Be Prepared:

● Tickets are available by sliding scale: $35-$55. Suggested value: $40.

● Doors open at 5:45 and the event will start promptly at 6:00 Please do your best to be on time as late arrivals will be disruptive to activities in progress.

● Space is limited to 40 participants so please register early.

Your donation contributes directly to supporting our programming to continue ongoing learning and cultural sharing. If you have financial barriers preventing you from purchasing a ticket, please email and we will do our best to accommodate. We thank you for your support!

About the Presenters:

Right to Learn Afghanistan, previously known as Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, is a Canadian charity that exists to make the right to education a reality for Afghan women and girls. Since 1998, Right to Learn Afghanistan has supported human rights and education for Afghan girls and women, training 10,000+ teachers, establishing 300+ libraries and science labs, and creating an online educational library with tens of thousands of monthly downloads. After the Taliban’s 2021 ban against female education, Right to Learn Afghanistan adapted, providing free virtual education in partnership with Afghan women. They have an online high school with 650 Afghan students and have supported 3,200+ Afghan women and girls with grants and scholarships for data connection, laptops and tablets, and other tools needed for them to pursue an education during these challenging times. Their transformative advocacy, humanitarian, and educational programs champion gender equity and the universal right to learn.

Secret Headquarters is gratefully situated on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. We honor, respect, and give thanks to our hosts.

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