Something you are sure to notice in your first year of living in Saudi Arabia is the official public holidays and the associated festivities. There are 4 official holidays; Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha, Founding day, and on the 23rd of September every year; Saudi National Day.
Saudi National Day is celebrated in a big way and even if you are the most reclusive of ex-pats, it is really hard to miss it. A few weeks before you will notice the stores advertising their Saudi national day deals and discounts. Shops will fill up with Saudi national day merchandise from flags to t-shirts and home-wares. A few days before you will notice the streets lined with Saudi flags and hear of events and celebrations going on all across the kingdom. But if you aren't Saudi and haven't been here long then you may be wondering what it is all about.
Saudi National day commemorates the unification of the Kingdom and its founding at the hands of His Majesty King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.
In order to really appreciate the significance of this holiday, it is helpful to understand a little about the past. Saudi Arabia has a rich and fascinating history. First of all as an ancient trade center and the birthplace of Islam. It is made up of 13 regions all with different dialects, traditions, and heritage. It took time and struggles for all the regions to become united and finally, on September 23rd, 1932, the unification of the Kingdoms of Najd and Hejaz was announced and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was born. Since its unification and the discovery of oil only a couple of years after this, its transformation has been and continues to be astonishing.
These links have further information and timelines of the important events in Saudi History and the significance of Saudi National day: https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/thekingdom/explore/history/
Considering the history and the plans for the future with vision 2030 is no surprise to see Saudi pride shining through in national day celebrations. I can honestly say that I feel very grateful to be living in Saudi during this exciting time.
Saudi National day falls on a Friday and there will be around 10 days of events all over the country. Fireworks across 18 cities, Airshows, parades, and music events. If you are able to then join some festivities near you, you won't regret it. You can find out what's on, here: https://enjoy.sa/en/ .
This week on Instagram and Tiktok I'm sharing a post a day to celebrate my favorite places in Saudi so go and check it out. Let me know what you are up to this National day. I'd love to hear from you.