Legal Regulations
During national and religious holidays, government institutions and offices are closed and employees are given a paid day off. Regional holidays, such as those specific to Kurdistan, are designated as working days nationwide. The official holiday calendar includes both fixed secular dates and Islamic holidays subject to moon sighting.
The Iraqi Labor Law No. 37 of 2015 is the primary legislation governing working conditions. It stipulates a standard 8-hour workday and 48-hour workweek, with overtime pay required for additional hours. Employees are entitled to annual paid leave and public holidays as declared by the government. The law also mandates specific provisions for women, minors, and hazardous occupations.
Insights
Strategic vacation planning is common, with articles suggesting the best days to take off to combine with public holidays for extended breaks. For example, taking a single day off can sometimes create a four-day weekend when paired with a Monday or Friday holiday.
Iraq observes a dual holiday system with secular national holidays and Islamic holidays following the lunar Hijri calendar, causing dates to shift yearly. Celebrations for holidays like Republic Day and Army Day often include military parades and cultural events. Islamic holiday dates are officially announced following traditional moon sighting methods, creating some uncertainty in advance planning.
The official weekend in Iraq is Friday and Saturday, aligning with the Islamic holy day. Work culture often involves a midday break, especially in the summer due to high temperatures. While public holidays are officially observed, private sector adherence can vary. The dual system of secular and Islamic holidays means dates for the latter are confirmed only shortly before based on moon sightings.
2026 Working days summary for Najaf, Iraq
Najaf, Iraq has 247 working days in 2026. This is calculated from 365 total calendar days, minus 96 weekend days (Saturday-Sunday), and minus 22 holidays. The standard work week runs Monday through Friday.
247
Working Days
96
Weekend Days
22
Holidays
Monthly Breakdown
| Month | Working | Weekend | Holidays | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19 | 10 | 2 | 31 |
| February | 20 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| March | 20 | 5 | 6 | 31 |
| April | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| May | 19 | 7 | 5 | 31 |
| June | 19 | 8 | 3 | 30 |
| July | 21 | 9 | 1 | 31 |
| August | 20 | 9 | 2 | 31 |
| September | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| October | 21 | 9 | 1 | 31 |
| November | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| December | 22 | 7 | 2 | 31 |
| Total | 247 | 96 | 22 | 365 |
2026 Calendar for Najaf, Iraq
January 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 New Year's Day New Year's Day | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 Army Day Army Day | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
19 working days, 10 weekend days, and 2 holidays in January 2026.
February 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
20 working days, 8 weekend days in February 2026.
March 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 National Day of Tolerance and Coexistence National Day of Tolerance and Coexistence | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 Halabja Chemical Attack Commemoration Halabja Chemical Attack Commemoration | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr | 21 Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr | 22 Eid al-Fitr Holiday Eid al-Fitr Holiday |
23 Eid al-Fitr Holiday Eid al-Fitr Holiday | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
20 working days, 5 weekend days, and 6 holidays in March 2026.
April 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in April 2026.
May 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Labour Day Labour Day | 2 | 3 | ||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 | 27 Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha | 28 Eid al-Adha Holiday Eid al-Adha Holiday | 29 Eid al-Adha Holiday Eid al-Adha Holiday | 30 Eid al-Adha Holiday Eid al-Adha Holiday | 31 |
19 working days, 7 weekend days, and 5 holidays in May 2026.
June 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Eid al-Ghadeer Eid al-Ghadeer | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 Islamic New Year Islamic New Year | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 Ashura Ashura | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
19 working days, 8 weekend days, and 3 holidays in June 2026.
July 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 Republic Day Republic Day | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
21 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in July 2026.
August 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | |||||
3 | 4 | 5 Arba'een Arba'een | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
24 | 25 Mawlid al-Nabi Mawlid al-Nabi | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
31 |
20 working days, 9 weekend days, and 2 holidays in August 2026.
September 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in September 2026.
October 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 Independence Day Independence Day | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
21 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in October 2026.
November 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in November 2026.
December 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 Victory Day Victory Day | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 Christmas Day Christmas Day | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
22 working days, 7 weekend days, and 2 holidays in December 2026.
Changelog
| 2026-05-17 22:25:20 | The holiday set for Najaf in 2026 has been updated to include a few new observances while retaining the majority of previous holidays. |
| 2026-05-05 10:50:25 | The holiday set for 2026 has been expanded to include additional observances, resulting in an increased number of holidays. |