Photos by Rooholla Vahdati, ISNA

Yalda festival which marks the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere was officially registered on the national heritage list on Saturday.

Yalda -- the last night of autumn and the beginning of winter -- is observed by every Iranian family here or abroad and is ethnically rooted in Iran.

On Yalda night, members of the family come together to narrate old stories told by ancestors, play traditional games and eat dried and fresh fruits symbolizing various things.

... Payvand News - 12/20/08 ... --