The End of the Year As the semester comes to a close, we face the end of another year. Days get darker faster, and the mystique of night holds us in its firm grip more vividly than before. The longest night of the year is coming. It goes by many names: The Winter Solstice, Midwinter, Saturnalia, Yule. In the Zoroastrian tradition, it is known as Yalda. Yalda reminds us that, even as we close the book on this year, we also prepare for the beginning of a new one. One important Yalda tradition is that of reading poetry – particularly Persian poetry – for good fortune. In the spirit of…