Sources: Rooz and Iran public holiday. There have been multiple recent reports in the Iranian blogsphere that Ayatollah Khazali, a former member of the powerful Guardians Council and the Experts Assembly for Leadership (Majles Khobregan Rahbari), once again has proposed that the celebration of Ghadir should replace the traditional Iranian celebration of Nowruz, the traditional Iranian new year.Analysis: When analyzing public pronouncements in Iran, it is always hard to determine, what is posturing and jockeying for position in the theocratic food chain, and what is a precursor sign of a change to come. In any event, this latest pronouncement is not a surprise in itself, and it is coherent with efforts made in other countries to eradicate cultures pre-dating conquest (such as Algeria's repression of the celebration of Berber public holidays). We will continue to monitor any further developments.
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