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Saudi Arabia declares public holiday for Founding Day

Public sector employees will get two days off, while the private sector will get one…

There’s an upcoming public holiday in Saudi Arabia to take note of, as the country marks Founding Day. On the occasion of Founding Day, Wednesday February 22 will be a public holiday for both the public and private sectors.

In addition, Thursday February 23 will be a holiday for those in the public sector. According to the Saudi Gazette, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) indicated that Thursday February 23, will also be a holiday for those included in the provisions of the executive regulations for human resources in the civil service. This is in accordance with Article 128 of the same regulations.

Schools will also be closed on both Wednesday February 22 and Thursday February 23. This means a four-day weekend for students, school staff and the rest of the public sector.

What is Founding Day?

Founding Day, also known as Foundation Day is an official public holiday in Saudi Arabia on February 22. The holiday was created in 2022 to commemorate the foundation of the First Saudi State in 1727 by Imam Muhammad bin Saud. When it was first announced last year, the royal order also stated that this would enable the public to celebrate Muhammad bin Saud’s successors.

Founding Day also marks Imam Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud who was the successor in 1824 and helped restore the nation by establishing the second Saudi state, which lasted until 1891. Ten years later, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Faisal Al Saud then succeeded in 1902 in establishing the third Saudi state by uniting it under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

When is the next public holiday after that?

After Founding Day, the next public holiday in Saudi Arabia will be for Eid Al-Fitr, a holiday to mark the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal and the end of the month-long Ramadan. The exact dates are dependent on the sighting of the moon, but it’s predicted to be from April 21 to 24. If the first day of Eid does fall on Friday April 21, we’re likely to have a four-day weekend.

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