Women’s Protest Movements Celebrate Yalda Night as a Symbol of Hope and Resilience
Several women’s protest movements held a gathering on the occasion of Yalda Night and issued a joint statement describing this night as a symbol of hope, resilience, and belief in a brighter future for Afghan women.
The statement said that just as Yalda heralds the end of darkness and the sunrise, protesting women also believe in a future based on justice, humanity, and human dignity. These movements consider Yalda Night an opportunity to renew their commitment to values such as freedom, equality, solidarity, and the right to live with dignity.
They emphasized that Yalda is not merely a traditional occasion for protesting women but a reminder of the steadfastness of women who have resisted discrimination, systematic exclusion, and efforts to silence their voices. According to these movements, recent years have shown that women’s voices cannot be silenced, and no power can keep the light of awareness and resistance forever in darkness.
In part of their statement, these protest movements called on all women, men, and the conscious minds of the world to stand alongside Afghan women and other oppressed women, and to demonstrate practical support for their legitimate demands.
These positions come as the Taliban administration, following its return to power, has imposed extensive restrictions on women’s most fundamental rights, banning their access to education beyond the sixth grade, parks, and many public spaces—policies that have faced widespread domestic and international criticism.
At the same time, these women commemorated Yalda Night under circumstances where the celebration of this cultural occasion inside Afghanistan has significantly declined since the Taliban’s return to power, with many cultural symbols facing restrictions and pressures.
