Removal of April 1st and June 5th Holidays in Parliament's Plan for Organizing Holidays

The head of the Social Commission of the Parliament has announced the referral of the "Organizing Official Holidays" plan to the Research Center of the Parliament, stating that in this plan, the Nowruz holidays have been reduced to five days, and the holidays on April 1st and June 5th have been removed. Salman Khodadadi, the head of this commission, said in an interview with Jam-e Jam Online on Tuesday, May 16, that since the generalities of this plan were rejected in the Social Commission of the Parliament, it was referred to the Research Center for "deeper investigations." He considered this plan to be "lacking the necessary comprehensiveness and maturity" and added that it proposed 15 changes to the official holidays of the country. According to this parliament member, the holiday on Thursdays was moved to Saturday, but some believe that Saturday coincides with the official holidays of religious minorities. Mr. Khodadadi added that this issue created "suspicions" that "could not be ignored" and had "significant social repercussions for the country." The head of the Social Commission also announced the implementation of 15 changes to the official holidays in this plan. Among these 15 changes are the reduction of Nowruz holidays to five days and the removal of the holidays on April 1st and June 5th from the official holidays. April 1st is designated as the Islamic Republic Day in the Iranian calendar and is an official holiday. On this day, the results of the referendum on the Islamic Republic system in Iran were announced. June 5th is also an official holiday in the Iranian calendar due to protests in Tehran and Qom against the government of Asadollah Alam following the arrest of Ruhollah Khomeini in 1963, which is referred to in the official literature of the Islamic Republic as the "June 5, 1963 uprising" and a "turning point in the beginning of the Islamic Revolution." Mr. Khodadadi added that the Research Center is expected to present it to the Parliament within the next month after consulting with "scholars, the Parliament, the government, elites, and all sectors." This parliament member expressed hope that "after years of back-and-forth regarding the official calendar of the country, there would be a fundamental transformation aimed at optimizing working and holiday days." Currently, the total number of official holidays in Iran is 26 days, which includes six national holidays, four holidays related to the Islamic Revolution, and 16 religious holidays.