Cairo: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday began a string of nationwide events to celebrate the anniversary of the kingdom’s Founding Day, a main national event that was first commemorated last year.
Public buildings and lampposts across the country are bedecked with signs and posters marking the Founding Day, annually celebrated on February 22.
Authorities in the capital Riyadh have designated four venues in the city for the people to attend various events due on Wednesday and Thursday to mark the occasion.
The events, scheduled to run from 4pm till 12midnight, feature heritage shows, costumes, storytelling, a photography tent and the Saudi coffee, which is a national drink.
A theatrical performance, showcasing the history of Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula over three centuries, will be staged later Wednesday at the Princess Nourah University in Riyadh.
On Friday, the Saudi Ministry of Culture will organize a major event, dubbed the “Founding March” in Riyadh to mark the occasion.
Around 4,800 performers will participate in the 90-minute march featuring a military parade by the Interior Ministry, folk arts and artistic forms of Saudi cultural values, the Saudi news agency SPA reported. The huge march will also feature eight creative carriages, each recounting a key element of the Saudi culture linked to the kingdom’s history over the past three centuries.
The carriages celebrate palm dates, sailing boats, Saudi coffee, textiles, local music, Arabic calligraphy, Arabian horses and green oases of the kingdom.
Last year, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz declared February 22 every year as the kingdom’s Founding Day and an official holiday.
The day commemorates the founding of the first Saudi state in 1727 by Imam Mohammed bin Saud.
