Celebration of the royal sitting anniversary
During the reign of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman and King Saud bin Abdulaziz – may God have mercy on them – the national celebration of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was (the anniversary of the royal sitting), so the day of King Abdulaziz pledged allegiance to the Hejaz on the eighth of January (January) of each year was considered a national holiday, and it was the first A celebration in the year 1348 AH, and during the reign of King Saud, November 12 was considered the day of the royal sitting, when King Saud assumed power on November 9, and the anniversary of the royal sitting is the first national occasion celebrated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The most prominent aspects of the celebrations marking the anniversary of the royal sitting are royal speeches, receiving congratulations, and ceremonial programs attended by senior state officials and citizens.
Saudi National Day
During the reign of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz – may God have mercy on him – Royal Decree No. M / 9 was issued on 4/24/1385 AH specifying the beginning of the scale, corresponding to September 23 of the Gregorian year, is the date of the Saudi National Day, which is the date of the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the king issued Abdulaziz Royal Decree No. 2716 dated 17 Jumada al-Awwal 1351 AH, which decided to transfer the name of the state from the Kingdom of Hejaz and Najd and its annexes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and since then the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates this day, as the King of the Kingdom receives congratulations on this anniversary and celebrations are held on this occasion.
Hijri years without a national day
There is a phenomenon that is repeated every 34 years, where the Hijri year enters and exits without the 23rd of September passing through it, and the reason for this is due to the difference in the number of days between the Gregorian and Hijri years, so the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia passed 3 Hijri years without a national day, which are:
1371 AH
It began on 1/10/1951 AD and ended on 9/19/1952 AD
1405 AH
It started on 9/26/1984 AD and ended on 9/14/1985 AD
1438 AH
It started on October 2, 2016 and ended on September 20, 2017
folk festivities
The Kingdom's leadership and people celebrate this anniversary, as speeches are delivered that enhance national unity, visual and print media publish the achievements of King Abdulaziz, and broadcast programs that review the history and achievements of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ceremonial programs are also held at the level of regions and governorates, in which the Kingdom's heritage and folklore are presented. The Kingdom's embassies celebrate this occasion, and university and school activities and student marches are held. The streets of the Kingdom on that day bloom in green, as the people go out to the street to celebrate this anniversary, and the manifestations of popular celebrations increased on this day in 2005 AD, when a decision was issued to grant an official holiday on September 23 to all sectors on the occasion of The National Day. Likewise, in previous years, celebrations of the Saudi National Day took a new form and a unified identity at the level of the Kingdom.
The identity of the Saudi National Day
The Ministry of Information, represented by the Government Communication Center, launched the identity and slogan of the Kingdom's 88th National Day (For Glory and Glory), and this is the first time that an official slogan has been launched to celebrate this anniversary. On the occasion of the 90th National Day, the General Entertainment Authority launched the unified verbal and visual media identity under the slogan (Mettle to the Summit), as an extension of the identity design on the 89th anniversary of the National Day.
General Authority for Entertainment
The celebration of the National Day took a new form under the General Authority for Entertainment, which was established in 2016 AD in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to organize and develop the entertainment sector in the Kingdom, and to provide entertainment options and opportunities for all segments of society in all regions of the Kingdom. Since its establishment, the Authority has launched many events for the day. The National Day during the previous three years, the last of which was in 2019, when it organized the Saudi National Day season as part of the Kingdom’s celebration of its 89 National Day for a week, which included:
Saudi National Day season
3 international events
17 participating government agencies
8 concerts
16 national celebrations
5 youth forums
16 fireworks celebrations with 700,000 flashes of fire
13 areas covered by the events
4 patriotic songs on the Identity platform
70 pre-designed programs and itineraries
650 happy hours
184 events over 5 days
3.7 million visitors in all regions of the Kingdom
Women in national ceremonies
Families were allowed for the first time to attend and watch the (Watan’s Epic) event as part of the General Entertainment Authority’s celebrations of the 87th National Day at King Fahd International Stadium. It is a fictional operetta that narrates the march of the Arabian Peninsula and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over 3 chapters. Saudi women also participated for the first time in this event.
Saudi women participated in the field activities of the 89th National Day season in 2019, with a rate of 23%.
Mada Al-Rehaili (Jeddah) @mar_mada