Saudi Flag Day

Saudi Flag Day (Arabic: يوم العلم السعودي), officially the Flag Day (Arabic: يوم العلم),[1] is a public holiday in Saudi Arabia observed annually on March 11 to commemorate the adoption of the unstandardized version of the country's national flag by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud in 1937.[2] It was first celebrated on the 86th anniversary of the adoption in 2023,[3] when King Salman bin Abdulaziz designated it as the nation's third non-religious legal holiday to be observed as per the Gregorian calendar after Saudi National Day and Saudi Founding Day.

Saudi Flag Day
يوم العلم السعودي
Current official flag of Saudi Arabia
Official nameFlag Day
Observed bySaudi Arabia
TypeHistoric
SignificanceOfficial adoption of the Saudi national flag in 1937
Date11 March
FrequencyAnnual
First time2023 (2023)
Started bySalman bin Abdulaziz

Overview
See also: Flag of Saudi Arabia and Modern history of Saudi Arabia

Around Saudi Arabia's unification and proclamation in 1932, Ibn Saud customized the country's green flag by inserting a Scimitar below the Islamic creed.[4] On March 11, 1937, he officially adopted the flag to represent Saudi Arabia internationally. The flag was in official use for 36 years until 1973 when King Faisal standardized it.[5]

On March 1, 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported that King Salman issued the Royal Decree No. A/303 that designated 11 March as The Flag Day.[6] Ten days later, celebrations were observed across the country. Salman highlighted the importance of Flag Day, citing it as a factor to consolidate national identity.[7]

The celebration of Flag Day is an affirmation of our pride in our national identity, its historic symbolism that has great connotations and profound implications, which embodies our constants, and a source of pride in our history.

— Salman bin Abdulaziz

The cultural ministry organized artistic activities for three days including a theatrical show.[8]

References
  1. "Saudi Arabia marks Flag Day on Saturday". Saudigazette. 2023-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  2. "Saudi Arabia celebrates Flag Day for the first time". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  3. Fatima, Sakina (2023-03-02). "Saudi Arabia to mark 'Flag Day' on March 11 every year". The Siasat Daily. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  4. "Saudi Arabia's flag: The legacy of a national symbol". Saudigazette. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  5. Porsche-Ludwig, Markus; Chen, Ying-Yu (2022). Handbook Near and Middle East States: Geography - History - Culture - Politics - Economy. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-643-91136-0.
  6. البيان. "رسمياً.. 3 تعديلات جديدة على العلم السعودي". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  7. "King Salman: Celebrating Flag Day consolidates national identity". Saudigazette. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  8. "Saudi Arabia marks Flag Day for 1st time". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.