Iranians celebrate longest night of the year

STORY: Iranians celebrate longest night of the year DATELINE: Dec. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 0:03:13 LOCATION: Tehran CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of food in Iran STORYLINE: Iranians celebrated Yalda Night, the longest night of the year on Wednesday this year. On this day, people in Iran usually get together with their families to enjoy fruits, nuts and sweets. Group reading of poems by great 14th-century Persian author Hafez for fortune-telling purposes is another tradition. Yalda means birth in Persian. This occasion marks an ancient Iranian festival that basically celebrates the coming of the winter solstice and the longest night of the year for centuries. Yalda Night was registered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a cultural heritage in Iran and Afghanistan this year. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tehran. (XHTV)

24 Solar Terms: Winter Solstice

STORY: 24 Solar Terms: Winter Solstice DATELINE: Dec. 22, 2022 LENGTH: 0:00:43 LOCATION: GUANGZHOU, China CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the ink paintings STORYLINE: Dongzhi, or Winter Solstice, is the 22nd of the 24 Solar Terms on the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls on Dec. 22 this year. Dongzhi has the longest night of the year. In Chinese culture, the day marks the beginning of deep winter. It is also a time for family gatherings. On this day, people in northern China eat dumplings, while people in the south eat tangyuan, or rice ball soup. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Guangzhou, China. (XHTV)

Tokyo Sky Tree tower on solstice day

Tokyo Sky Tree tower on solstice day

TOKYO, Japan - The Tokyo Sky Tree tower, under construction in Tokyo's Sumida Ward and already topping the 500-meter mark, stands with Mt. Fuji in the background on Dec. 22, 2010, the winter solstice day marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. (Kyodo)

Tokyo Sky Tree tower on solstice day

Tokyo Sky Tree tower on solstice day

TOKYO, Japan - The shadow of Tokyo Sky Tree tower, under construction in Tokyo's Sumida Ward and already topping the 500-meter mark, extends about 5 kilometers across the Arakawa River on Dec. 22, 2010, the winter solstice day marking the shortest day and longest night of the year. (Kyodo)