Cairo: Saudi authorities have launched a special seal to stamp travellers’ passports on the occasion of the National Day as the kingdom is commemorating the event with massive nationwide celebrations.
The Saudi General Directorate of Passports said the initiative is part of celebrating the occasion with travellers leaving or departing through the kingdom’s international outlets by stamping their passports with the seal as a “document and a symbol of the National Day”.
The Saudi National Day, annually celebrated on September 23, marks the foundation of Saudi Arabia by King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud.
This year’s Saudi National Day, marked today (Saturday) is celebrated under the slogan “We Dream and Achieve”.
Saudi Arabia has seen a surge of patriotic fervor and national euphoria in the run-up to the occasion. Roads and public squares across the kingdom have been decorated with the national flag and billboards proclaiming attachment to the homeland and patriotic pride. Many buildings light up in green, the colour of the Saudi flag. Children were seen in photos carried by the Saudi media clad in green while waving the flag.
Military parades were staged on the occasion, including a parade by female conscripts.
Motorists, meanwhile, hit the roads hoisting the Saudi flag in celebration of the occasion. Authorities in Riyadh said they have readied 93 sites for festivities. Air shows, mass marches, entertainment shows, and poetical recitals are also planned in several cities.
Authorities in the Saudi western city of Taif said celebrations include equestrian, air force and parachuting shows.
Stationery shops in Saudi Arabia have reported big sales in items related to the event including banners, hats and green dyes.
