Iranians of all groups and religions are enjoying their relatively unknown winter festival on December 21, one which predates all the Abrahamic faiths.
Yalda Night, celebrated on the winter solstice (December 20-21), is one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions, in which families gather to mark the longest night of the year. The celebration involves eating watermelon, pomegranates and nuts whilst reciting poetry, particularly the works of Hafez. However, high inflation, falling purchasing power, and a drumbeat of crises mean many families are cutting back on classic Yalda spreads, turning the night into a reminder of economic hardship as much as a celebration.
According to the latest data, the cost of purchasing traditional Yalda Night items from retail shops in Tehran is skyrocketing in 2025, Bourse Press and Etemad newspaper reported on December 21.
The Market Regulation Headquarters annually intervenes to control prices during special occasions and national events, but this year authorities are facing a backlash from citizens who are paying a fortune for what cost them at least 60% less a year ago.
Government efforts appear in vain with shopkeepers jacking up prices to not lose out on the weakening economic conditions. Their measures appear to have limited effectiveness and only work at government-supervised centres with the Iranian rial lingering around 1.33mn against the dollar, the lowest it's ever been.
A standard Yalda Night table, including one kilogramme of pomegranates, one kilogramme of persimmons, one watermelon (five to six kilogrammes), one pumpkin (two to 2.5 kilogrammes), one kilogramme of mixed nuts without candy, one kilogramme of mixed fresh sweets and one kilogramme of tongue sweets costs IRR17.13mn ($13) at government-set prices (free market rate).
According to the official price list at Tehran's wholesale market on December 15, pomegranates cost IRR620,000 per kilogramme, persimmons IRR550,000, pumpkin IRR270,000 per kilogramme and watermelon IRR220,000 per kilogramme. The Union of Nuts and Dried Fruits set mixed nuts without candy at IRR7.52mn per kilogramme for Yalda Night.
A survey of nine major squares across Tehran's northern, southern, central, eastern and western areas showed the most expensive Yalda table at Haft Hoz Square costing IRR34.73mn ($26), or 1.9 times the official price, whilst the cheapest at Azadi Square cost IRR30.17mn ($23), or 1.6 times official prices.
The most significant disparity between retail and official prices was at Tajrish Square, where the table cost approximately IRR42.64mn ($33), or 2.33 times the government-set price. At Enghelab Square, the cost reached IRR31.47mn (1.72 times), whilst Qazvin Square recorded IRR28.09mn (1.53 times).
Across Tehran, many people are feeling the pinch following months of turmoil, including the attack on Iran by Israel, in urbanised areas of Tehran during the summer.
"Every year we gather at my uncle's house and my grandmother tells stories about when she was young," said Reza Moradi, a 28-year-old accountant shopping at Tehran Stock Exchange. "We read Hafez together and share pomegranates. It's our way of staying connected."
"The tradition is still there but the table looks different now," said Fatemeh, 45, a teacher browsing nuts at a wholesale market in Bahar Street. "Before we had watermelon, fresh sweets, all kinds of dried fruits. Now we choose what we can afford."
"We used to buy everything fresh from the shops, now we prepare what we can at home," said Zahra Mohammadi, 31, a pharmacist.
"Last year my father bought a ten-kilogramme watermelon and enough nuts for everyone," said Sara Rahimi, 19, a university student. "This year we're sharing one small watermelon between eight people. It's not the same but we make do," speaking with IntelliNews.
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