The Iraqi government has declared a six-day public holiday for Eid al-Fitr starting March 18, 2026, amid strict warnings to private schools to comply. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region announced an extended break lasting until March 29.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers has officially declared a six-day public holiday across the country to mark Eid al-Fitr. According to the Iraqi Ministry of Education, the suspension of official working hours will begin on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, and last until Monday, March 23, 2026, with normal operations scheduled to resume on Tuesday, March 24.
The holiday mandate applies universally to government employees, public schools, universities, and private educational institutions across Baghdad and all Iraqi provinces, as reported by student news networks نيمار ابن الانبار and واحد عراق. Following reports of initial non-compliance by some private institutions, the Ministry of Education issued a stern warning. نيمار ابن الانبار || iraqedu noted that the Ministry explicitly directed all private school administrations to adhere to the Prime Minister's official directives, warning that "otherwise, the school administration will bear all legal consequences." This enforcement measure was corroborated by قناة طلاب العراق الرسمية, which reiterated that any violation would subject the offending school to legal action.
Local and regional authorities also issued specific clarifications regarding their respective holiday schedules. In Basra, Governor Asaad Al-Eidani firmly denied rumors of an early start to the break, confirming that Tuesday, March 17, remains a standard working day, according to updates from سنتر السادس | Al-Santer. Conversely, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq has established a distinct and extended holiday timeline. General news channel نايا - NAYA reported that the Kurdistan Regional Government will suspend official working hours beginning Thursday, extending all the way until Sunday, March 29.
The source material relies heavily on official government declarations relayed through Iraqi student and educational news channels. There are no conflicting narratives regarding the main holiday dates, only standard bureaucratic friction involving private school compliance and rumors in Basra, which were quickly debunked by local officials.