RIYADH: A spectacular parade in Riyadh late on Tuesday capped a day of celebrations to mark Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Founding Day holiday.
More than 3,500 participants in traditional dress from each region marched through Wadi Nemar in the Saudi capital. “It’s an amazing experience,” Razan Abdan, 28, from Qassim, told Arab News.
“I feel so overwhelmed with all the culture I’m surrounded by. It’s amazing to see every region in the country participating.”
Events took place throughout the Kingdom to commemorate the establishment of the First Saudi State in 1727.
In historic Diriyah, the day began with a military parade by Saudi cavalry on horses and camels, paying homage to the men who rode across the Arabian Peninsula during the formation of the Saudi state. Musicians in traditional dress blew trumpets and smacked a daf, a percussion instrument dating from the times of Prophet Muhammad.
Young Dalia Al-Rawdhan, wearing a red floral dress and a golden headpiece, held her little brother, who was dressed in the Saudi dagla, as they watched the Diriyah parade.
The children’s mother, Rana, told Arab News: “The inspiration I had for my kids’ national costumes was taken from our clothes back home. We are from the west, specifically from Hail. “We made sure our kids know the history of Founding Day and participate in it and have an idea about it. It is their identity and it is important to know it.”
Parents of Saudi schoolchildren gathered symbolic items that highlighted the culture of the Kingdom or small flags bearing the Founding Day logo, prepared traditional dishes for their children to distribute among fellow students, and put together traditional costumes for children to wear to school.
“As a Saudi mother and a lover of my country, I was pleased about my child’s participation in Founding Day,” mother-of-two Maha Salama told Arab News.
