Manama: Saudi Arabia’s 88th National Day is being celebrated with great fanfare and amid euphoric excitement generated by a strong sense of good feeling following a year of historic achievements and growing aspirations, especially for women.
Welcoming the auspicious occasion on Sunday, Saudi towns have been decked out in green, the colour of the Saudi flag, and lined up a series of recreational, cultural and heritage events and folkloric shows and operettas.
Several traditional fairs, handicraft shows and fireworks displays have also been planned in major cities as part of the national celebrations.
Some have poets composed verses to highlight the patriotism and joy of Saudis and their allegiance to their nation and to their leaders.
In keeping up with the modern drive that has overhauled the conservative society and introduced a string of major reforms, six major concerts will be staged on Sunday evening in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, the capital Riyadh and the leading city in the Eastern Province Dammam.
Saudi Arabia was born on September 23, 1932, after people asked King Saudi Ibn Abdul Aziz who ruled over the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, initially the Kingdom of Hejaz and Sultanate of Nejd, to change the name of the dual monarchy to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
King Abdul Aziz was succeeded by King Saud in 1953, King Faisal in 1963, King Khalid in 1975, King Fahd in 1982, King Abdullah in 2005 and King Salman in 2015.
