Schoolchildren don heritage attires ahead of Saudi Founding Day

Cairo: In a gesture of jubilation over this week’s Founding Day anniversary of the homeland, Saudi students have appeared in schools wearing the traditional costumes.

Several schoolboys were keen to sit for exams of their second semester clad in clothes inspired by Saudi heritage dating back to more than three centuries in the run-up to the Founding Day that is officially marked this year on Thursday.

Saudi newspaper Okaz ran photos showing students taking their exams while wearing the distinctive costumes in the port city of Jeddah.

“I was keen to wear the Saudi heritage attire on the first day of the exam in celebration of the Founding Day,” Faisal Al Omari, a student, said. “I feel elated for putting on the attire of ancestors,” he added.

His colleague Abdulallah Al Shahrani said celebrating the Founding Day is a joy in itself, besides being a national event.

“I learnt a lot about the traditional national clothes during my school’s celebration of the Founding Day last week,” he said. “Showing up for exams wearing the heritage costume inspires enthusiasm,” he added.

In the past days, schools across Saudi Arabia celebrated the national occasion.

The Saudi Founding Day is annually celebrated on February 22.

In 2022, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz 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 Mohammad bin Saud. The anniversary is usually celebrated by festivities showcasing the kingdom’s rich heritage and history of the past three centuries.