Saudi Arabia starts celebrating National Day with patriotic fervor

Jeddah, The Gulf Observer: In an air of festivity surcharged with patriotic fervor, euphoria, and enthusiasm, the people of Saudi Arabia started celebrating the 92nd National Day.

In celebration of the country’s National Day on Friday, all roads and public places in the capital city of Riyadh and other major cities have been covered with national flags and posters of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense.

The green flags fluttered in small and large cities and governrates across the Kingdom as hundreds of thousands of citizens came out to celebrate the great day of national pride.

The national flag is being hoisted in front of all government buildings, public places, and squares as well as at many homes and cars. It is the symbol to manifest patriotism, love, and loyalty to the nation as well as to its leadership.

A wide variety of festivities are being held in various regions of the Kingdom. Saudis all over the world as well as expatriates in the Kingdom are joining the celebrations with diverse activities and programs.

The euphoria of celebrations is reverberating throughout the Kingdom since the start of the celebrations last Saturday. The people see this as a unique moment to show their true patriotism and feel immense pride to witness the nation remaining a citadel of peace and security.

All regions of the Kingdom are currently witnessing the largest ever celebrations in the history of the Kingdom. Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), launched on Sept. 17 the nine-day celebrations under the slogan “It Is Our Home,” which will run until Sept. 26 all over the Kingdom.

Saudi fighter jets, military, and civil aircraft will take part in the largest air show in the history of the Kingdom under the slogan “A homeland salute”, featuring 34 events that will be held in 13 major cities across the Kingdom.

The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is conducting air shows with Typhoon, F-155, Tornado, and F-15 C aircraft in 14 cities.

The international Cirqus Du Soleil started staging on Wednesday mesmerizing performances that are designed for this year’s National Day at the theater of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh. The four-day event is being held under the title of “The Wealth of a Homeland.”

All 13 provinces of the Kingdom are organizing festivals celebrating the Kingdom’s history to be launched in public parks, including dozens of entertainment events, interactive activities, heritage-related shows, and crafts. Over the course of four consecutive days, the regions of the Kingdom are hosting 12 entertainment festivals that started on Wednesday and will run through until Saturday. These form huge festive carnivals that celebrate the history and unique national heritage of the Kingdom.

Massive fireworks will light up the skies of 18 cities in various regions of Saudi Arabia. Fireworks will go off simultaneously at 9:00 p.m. on Friday in 18 cities to illuminate the Kingdom’s sky in green and white.

The National Day marked the anniversary of the issuance of a royal decree for the unification of the country under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The National Day is celebrated every Sept. 23 to commemorate the renaming of the Kingdom of Najd and Hejaz to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by royal decree of King Abdul Aziz, founder of modern Saudi Arabia, in 1932. It was made a national holiday by King Abdullah in 2005.

The National Day is being celebrated when the Kingdom is undergoing massive social and economic transformation and development boom under the wise leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The Crown Prince is the architect of the Saudi Vision 2030, which is a unique transformative economic and social reform blueprint that is opening Saudi Arabia up to the world.

The vision, which is built around three primary themes: A vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation is the first step towards achieving Saudi Arabia’s economic aspirations and transforming the lives of citizens. It is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism.

As part of the Vision program, the Kingdom is witnessing the implementation of giga development projects such as NEOM City, The Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, and the Jeddah redevelopment project.

Since the celebration of the National Day last year, Saudi Arabia unveiled many landmark achievements and made announcements about development projects and these include the establishment of NEOM Industrial City OXAGON, the largest floating industrial cluster in the world; establishment of TROJENA, an iconic, world-class destination, blending natural and developed landscapes as a global destination for mountain tourism in NEOM; and the designs of “THE LINE,’’ the city of the future in NEOM.

This is in addition to the launch of the Boutique Group, which will blend the Kingdom’s culture and heritage with modern amenities to provide an exclusive hospitality experience; establishment of world’s first non-profit in Irqah district in Riyadh; the launch of strategic offices to develop the regions of Al-Baha, Al-Jouf, and Jazan; and Riyadh’s official application to host the World Expo 2030.

The projects also include launching the infrastructure works and the master plan for the Rua Al Madinah project in the area located east of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and the King Salman Project for the Expansion of Quba Mosque, the largest ever expansion project.

The Saudi leadership also unveiled the national aspirations and priorities for the research, development, and innovation sector for the next two decades, in order to enhance the Kingdom’s global competitiveness and leadership role.

Saudi Arabia also opened the road linking the Kingdom with the Sultanate of Oman. The Kingdom’s humanitarian initiatives are in the limelight, the latest of which was the successful mediation efforts of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman that led to the release of 10 foreign Prisoners of War by Russia on Wednesday.