Premier John Horgan has issued the following statement on Yalda, the Iranian celebration of the solstice:

“On the longest and darkest night of the year, people from Iranian, Afghan, Azeri, Kurdish, Tajik and Uzbek communities all around British Columbia will bid farewell to autumn and celebrate Yalda.

“Families and friends will come together to share food, stories and songs as they welcome the winter solstice, rejoice in the triumph of light over darkness and look forward to brighter, longer days ahead.

“To everyone marking Yalda tonight in B.C., across Canada and around the world, have a warm and joyous evening surrounded by loved ones.

“Shab-e Yalda Mobarak!”

For a Farsi translation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Yalda-2019_Farsi.pdf

For a French translation, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Yalda-2019_FR.pdf