Allegations that the names of special days such as Sheb Yalda, the longest night on which Iranians celebrate various occasions, and Suri Wednesday, which refers to the last Wednesday of the year, have been changed, have sparked controversy.
Iran’s Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution announced that next year’s calendar will include a day for spreading the culture of advocacy and communication with relatives, alongside “Shabi Yalda”, which falls on December 21, and “Treatment of Neighbors” instead. “Surrian Wednesday,” which is celebrated on the last Wednesday of the year according to the solar Hijri calendar, and added the phrase “today.”
Following this decision, reactions rose from various parts of the country.
Iranian Parliament Member Kazem Dilhosh Abateri responded to the decision and said that lawmakers should not interfere in such matters. Abateri said in an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency: The names of these special days are the names that cause people’s happiness. “I believe that neither Parliament nor lawmakers should interfere in this matter,” he said.
“Removed from calendar”
The Secretariat of the General Cultural Council published a written statement on this subject.
In the statement published under the title “Shep Yalda and Charshamba Suri have not been removed from the calendar,” these allegations were denied.
The statement said that some changes had been made in the names of days in the calendar, that Shib Yalda was among the cultural values of the country, and that Charshamba Suri had an important place in society.
Shibe Yalda, which means the longest night, is celebrated on December 21 and is the longest night of the year. Charshamba Suri, which means “Red Wednesday,” is celebrated on the last Wednesday night of the year before New Year (Nowruz) in Iran. (aa)