Saudi National Day
| اليوم الوطني للمملكة العربية السعودية Saudi National Day | |
|---|---|
 Current Flag of Saudi Arabia | |
| Official name | Saudi National Day |
| Observed by | Saudi Arabia |
| Type | National |
| Significance | Renaming of Nejd and Hejaz to Saudi Arabia |
| Date | 23 September |
| Next time | 23 September 2022 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Saudi National Day (Arabic: اليوم الوطني للمملكة العربية السعودية al-Yawm al-Waṭanī lil-Mamlaka al-ʿArabiyya as-Saʿūdiyya) is celebrated in Saudi Arabia every 23 September to commemorate the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by royal decree of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud in 1932.
It was made a national holiday by King Abdullah in 2005. The number of lunar, not solar, years are commemorated.
Establishment of Saudi Arabia
King Abdulaziz was able to conquer the oases of Riyadh in 1902; and al-Hasa in 1913, and by 1925, he unified both Nejd and the Hejaz after defeating the forces of Sharif Hussein. On 23 September 1932, King Abdulaziz changed the name of his realm to his family name, the House of Saud.
Customs
Saudi National Day is celebrated with folk dances, songs, and traditional festivities. Roads and buildings are decorated with Saudi flags, and people wear the national colours of green and white, and display balloons in the same.
Events and occasions on the same day
- 2005: King Abdullah announces that Saudi National Day became an official holiday.
- 2009: King Abdullah opened the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in the presence of foreign heads of state.
- 2014: Jeddah unveils the tallest flagpole in the world
- 2015: Saudi National Day is first celebrated officially.