What it means
روز ملی (ruz-e melli) means “national day” and refers to any officially recognized day commemorating a nation’s founding, independence, or a major historical event. The phrase is a cross-origin compound: روز (ruz, day) is pure Persian, while ملی (melli, national) derives from the Arabic word ملت (mellat, nation or people), itself tracing back to Arabic ملة (milla). The combination is a standard administrative and journalistic term. A near synonym is روز استقلال (ruz-e esteqlal, Independence Day).
How to use it
- فردا روز ملیه و همه مرخصی دارن. (farda ruz-e melliye va hame morakhasi daran.) “Tomorrow is the national day and everyone has a holiday.”
- روز ملی ایران با مراسم رسمی برگزار شد. (ruz-e melli-e iran ba marasem-e rasmi bargozar shod.) “Iran’s national day was held with an official ceremony.”
- هر کشوری روز ملی خودش رو داره. (har keshvari ruz-e melli-e khodesh ro dare.) “Every country has its own national day.”
- مدرسهها به خاطر روز ملی تعطیلن. (madreseha be khater-e ruz-e melli tatilan.) “Schools are closed because of the national day.”
Cultural note
Iran observes several days that function as national days, most notably 22 Bahman (February 11), the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Nowruz, the Persian New Year, carries its own powerful national and cultural identity even though it is not officially designated as a روز ملی in the formal sense. Outside Iran, Persian-speaking communities in Afghanistan and Tajikistan have their own national days tied to their countries’ histories.