yalda intentions

a winter solstice interview with jiyan zandi

On December 21, the Earth’s hemisphere’s axis will tilt furthest from the sun, resulting in the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Every year, the solstice coincides with or precludes other major holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, the Gregorian New Year, and Yule/Jul. According to historical record, that’s partially because there was a holiday that inspired all of these cultural and faith traditions: The Zoroastrian holiday, Yalda.

Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda in Persian, Şewî Yelda in Kurdish) is the solstice celebration for Zoroastrians: one of the oldest religions in the world and the first-recorded monotheistic religion in human history. It involves, as noted by my friend and co-writer پرنیا in my latest piece, “warding off bad spirits that come out at night by gathering with friends and family, talking and playing games while enjoying seasonal fruits and nuts, and sipping on hot tea … it’s also tradition to burn red candles, wear something red, and have red fruits, including pomegranate and watermelon, to symbolize vitality and life in the middle of the cold, grey winter.”

Yalda traditions began over 7,000 years ago among ancient Zoroastrians. Zoroastrianism grew in the Central and South Asian regions, including present-day Iran, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Historians refer to Zoroastrianism as an ancient Iranian religion; this is because these countries were colonized by the Persian Empire, forming “Greater Iran” or “the Persosphere” at the time. Today, these countries and peoples still practice Zoroastrianism, and mark solar events with holidays like Shab-e Yalda or Norooz: the spring equinox celebration.

All of these traditions—like Zoroastrianism itself—follow the path of the sun and the harvest. They are older than capitalism, colonialism, and agrarianism. They also preclude, per archaeological record¹, Christianity and the celebration of Christmas. Turns out, Yalda may even be responsible for the development of Yule (and later, Christmas) traditions throughout Europe. (Check out this video if you want to learn more.) Point is: Zoroastrian culture had major influence beyond the region where it bloomed. It deserves its flowers, even thousands of years later.

Listen: I haven’t historically celebrated Yalda. I love my big Christmas tree, and the solstice usually reminds me of my dad’s birthday (happy birthday, Dad!). But as I’ve grown and learned more about my Iranian culture, Yalda has been the ignored counterpart to the embraced Norooz (one of my favorite holidays). This year, I decided to commit to celebrating the (fun, easy) holiday, and got my whole family onboard. We’ll be wearing red, eating pomegranates, and watching scary movies. A few weeks before, I reached out to Jiyan Zandi—the forever-Cool-Girl behind the brand Local Brown Baby—to talk about the holiday and how she likes to celebrate.

Jiyan’s brand, @LocalBrownBaby, was introduced to me via Instagram when I was in college. My Iranian and Kurdish friends and oomfs started reposting her photoshoots as soon as Instagram released the story function, and the sickest girls at actions would be wearing the “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BROWN BABY” tee. She was on my story every Norooz. The typeface, the styling, and her consistent collaborations with Sayran (another Kurdish designer) made me a loyal follower. I first learned about Yalda, at the time, through her content.

This many years later, Jiyan is still putting out timely, political merchandise for her community. Her latest collection is called “Jin Jiyan Azadî:” named for the original, Kurdish term for Woman Life Freedom. (You may remember my discussion of the Kurdish origins of this movement here.) Jiyan, who is Mexican-Kurdish, has paid homage to her ancestry in previous collections. But this drop seemed to dig deeper: the design and copy choices of her newest bag, scarf, top, and postcards made direct references to Kurdish feminism and dreams of liberation. (Check out this piece for a bit more information on Kurdish women’s role in revolution, Rojava, and more.)

Women’s liberation is the foundation of all liberation.

— Mountain Life Tote, LocalBrownBaby.com

Kurdish women clearly influence Jiyan’s work, including their generations of resistance to genocide and violence from surrounding states. She takes this belief across borders (as always) by including the poppy and the watermelon in her postcard and sticker set, both of which are symbols of solidarity with Palestine (as is Leila Khaled in a keffiyeh—obv). She also has subtle references to Zoroastrian themes, like the sun at the center of her Mountain Spirit Set, or references to the poppy and the Cyprus tree in her Woman, Life, Freedom bandana.

The “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” collection shows a mixed Kurdish woman thinking deeply about her ancestry, using merchandise and art design to bring her roots to more people. Like the ancient roots of Yalda, Kurdish women have built the infrastructure for the Jin Jiyan Azadî framework for thousands of years—even before it was formally named and recognized. Jiyan makes these connections visible with her art, which is what brought her and I together to discuss her collection before Yalda Night.

Below, find an interview with Jiyan Zandi of LocalBrownBaby, where she shared with me the inspirations behind her Yalda practices and her latest collection:

---

JH: You share a lot about Kurdish culture on your Instagram page, @LocalBrownBaby. Can you tell us what Yalda is, why Kurdish people celebrate it, and what it means to you?

JZ: For me, Yalda is about lineage and memory. It’s the longest night of the year, a Zoroastrian observance that predates modern borders and reminds us that Kurdish culture is rooted in very old cosmologies of light, renewal, and collective endurance. Yalda marks the victory of the sun after the darkest night and is an affirmation that light returns because WE keep it alive in our homes, our stories, and our communities.

I didn’t grow up celebrating it in a structured way. Reconnecting to Yalda as an adult has been part of my larger journey of understanding my Kurdish and Zoroastrian ancestry. It’s a reminder that our traditions survived through generations of displacement and assimilation pressures. So to me, Yalda is less about ritual perfection and more about remembering where we come from and what allowed us to survive.

JH: How do you and your family celebrate Yalda? What traditions do you keep alive? Which ones do you reinvent?

JZ: Yalda for me is part of my journey of reclaiming and learning about my ancestry. This year, I’m celebrating Yalda by going into the mountains with my family, disconnecting from the noise of the city, and giving myself space to listen to my inner voice, to the land, and to the quiet wisdom that comes through when I’m not overwhelmed by everyday life.

For me, that is the ritual. It’s a way of refining the noise so I can actually hear my own thoughts and intuition. Yalda is about surviving the longest night and this retreat into the mountains feels like a modern expression of that. I feel the need to step away from distraction, reconnect with the stories of my ancestors, and create clarity around what comes next in my life, in the Brown Baby world, and in the larger work of remembering and rebuilding a better world.My celebration may not look traditional but it carries the same intention of finding the light, grounding myself, and remembering that survival and transformation begin within.

Yalda is not about performing a perfect ritual. I feel that it’s about remembering even in the darkest night, community keeps us warm.

— Jiyan Zandi

JH: Part of Shab-e Yalda is warding off the dark. What do you hope to ward off in 2026 for yourself, and for the @LocalBrownBaby community?

JZ: Personally, I want to ward off paralysis or the feeling that the world is too overwhelming to engage with. Anger without movement becomes heaviness. But anger with direction becomes change. This is what I have been exploring in my new Brown Girl Rage collection. Taking my rage to tea, getting to know it rather than being ashamed of it. What is our anger telling us? How can we use those messages to move and build?

For Local Brown Baby, I hope we ward off the belief that we are powerless inside systems that feel immovable. I want us to stay awake, stay connected, and stay in motion. In times of deep darkness, our relationships and our community practices are what keep us alive. Community has always been the truest form of survival.

JH: Another part of Yalda is looking toward the light. What do you hope to call in in 2026 for yourself and for your community?

JZ: I want to call in more imagination. I want to invite people into a space where we can play again, dream again, and build worlds that feel layered and alive. Worlds where joy and darkness coexist. Worlds that feel like a breath of fresh air after years of survival mode. For myself, I want more fun and freedom in my creative process.

For the Local Brown Baby community, I want the brand to feel like a place you can step into and explore, a world that welcomes you, excites you, and takes you somewhere new. If Yalda is about looking toward the light, then the light I’m calling in is possibility, the permission to dream and experiment again.

JH: For anyone marking Yalda for the first time, where should they start?

JZ: Start with intention. Learn the meaning behind the traditions, but also don’t be afraid to make it your own. Light a candle. Make tea. Read something that helps you slow down. Share food with someone you love. Reflect on the parts of yourself you want to carry into the new year and the parts you’re ready to release. Yalda is not about performing a perfect ritual. I feel that it’s about remembering even in the darkest night, community keeps us warm.

JH: You just released the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi collection… What inspired you to center Kurdish feminism right now (arguably, a time of darkness)?

JZ: Kurdish women have been theorizing, organizing, and fighting for liberation long before the world paid attention. This collection is not a trend, it’s a continuation of a lineage. We’re in a global moment where feminist movements are being co-opted, depoliticized, or stripped of their origins. So it felt important to create something that credits the thinkers, the fighters, and the communities who shaped this framework. The collection honors the Kurdish women who protect their land, defend their autonomy, and imagine freedom with incredible clarity.

When the phrase [Jin Jiyan Azadi] is separated from its roots, the people who paid the cost to create it become invisible. Using the Kurdish language is a way of resisting that erasure.

— Jiyan Zandi

JH: What was the ‘light’ that helped you bring this collection to life?

JZ: The light behind this collection came from the discipline of showing up to my studio every morning and shutting out all distractions. For weeks, I committed to focused writing and design work. Once I created that structure for myself, the work just started to flow. Writing became a big part of my process. I journaled first thing in the morning about whatever was crowding my mind and that daily brain dump made space for Jin, Jiyan, Azadî. Kurdish women fighting on the ground and building in Rojava are the true light. Kurdish women deserve recognition not because the U.S. media decides they’re “interesting” or “trendy,” but because they have carried a continuous, generational commitment to their land, their people, and their communities. Their resistance is lived, and it’s also dangerous. So the light that guided this collection was clarity: the understanding that Kurdish women deserve to be centered, credited, and honored in ways that aren’t conditional on Western attention.

JH: What was important about naming the framework of Kurdish feminism (Jineolojî) in this collection?”

JZ: Naming it honors its origin and prevents the dilution that often happens when ideas travel through mainstream channels. Proper credit is not optional in liberation work.

JH: What is important about crediting Kurdish women and using Kurdish language when referencing ‘Jin Jiyan Azadî’?

JZ: Because “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî” is Kurdish. It was born from Kurdish struggle, Kurdish women’s organizing, and Kurdish intellectual history. When the phrase is separated from its roots, the people who paid the cost to create it become invisible. Using the Kurdish language is a way of resisting that erasure. It’s also a way of reminding the world that Kurdish women have shaped global feminist movements in ways that deserve more recognition.

JH: What are the stakes when we don’t?

JZ: The stakes are historical erasure. The kind of erasure that Kurds have seen for generations. When origins are erased, so are the political conditions that produced the movement. It becomes easy for governments, brands, or institutions to use the language without honoring the people who risked and often lost their lives. Erasure weakens movements, while credit strengthens them.

We’re in a global moment where feminist movements are being co-opted, depoliticized, or stripped of their origins. So it felt important to create something that credits the thinkers, the fighters, and the communities who shaped this framework. The collection honors the Kurdish women who protect their land, defend their autonomy, and imagine freedom with incredible clarity.

—Jiyan Zandi

JH: A young protester cut her hair while wearing your ‘Support Your Local Brown Baby’ shirt. What do you hope to see young women do in your new collection?

JZ: I hope young women see themselves as part of a lineage. I hope they feel grounded in their power and connected to each other. I hope they use their voice in whatever way feels true for them. To me the most powerful act is showing up fully as yourself in a world that benefits from your silence.

You also don’t have to be Kurdish to wear this collection. What I do hope is that people use it as an entry point to learn about Kurdish women’s contribution to global feminist movements and the frameworks they’ve built for community care and liberation. Kurdish feminism is one of the most fascinating, sophisticated, and future-oriented ideologies I’ve ever encountered. It offers real tools for building a more just world. If this collection helps someone see Kurdish women as innovators in global feminism then it’s already doing its work.

---

Question for the comments: Have you ever heard of Yalda? Do you celebrate? If so, how?

1. Oral record and tradition is different from archaeological, and Judaism’s oral tradition may preclude Zoroastrianism. Also, Hinduism (which is polytheistic) precludes Zoroastrianism in oral and archaeological record.