Also known as Saudi National Day, the National Day of Saudi Arabia celebrates the day King Abdul Aziz unified the nation and its citizens, naming the country the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said Abdulrahman Almasnad , head of the Saudi Student Club culture committee.
“This is our theme,” he said. “We are wearing different clothes, but we are still one unit. We are still one Saudi. There is no difference if we use different accents or wear different clothes or like different food.”
The Saudi Student Club was formed in 2005, according to the organization’s website.
The club’s goals include introducing American students to Saudi culture and tradition, as well as assisting Saudi students who are attending school in Bloomington.
The celebration kicked off with a reading from the Quran, the religious text of Islam, and the singing of the national anthem of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia.
Beneath a sign reading, “Keep calm and see how you look in a hijab,” guests tried on traditional Saudi clothes, from abayas to hijabs.
Guests also sampled traditional Saudi food and drink, from kleeja and maamoul to dates and Arabic coffee, and danced to Saudi songs filled with lyrics celebrating the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the unification of the nation and its citizens.
Members of the Saudi Student Club also wrote guests’ names in Arabic and covered guests’ hands with henna designs.
“We are doing this event here at IU to let other people know about our traditions, our customs,” said Basim Alessa , head of the Saudi Student Club media committee.
A video informed guests about the history of the National Day of Saudi Arabia, while Saudi maps and artifacts lined the walls, enlightening guests about Saudi geography and culture, and posters filled tables, educating guests about Saudi industry and education.
Alessa said one purpose of the event is to inform guests about the nation’s strides toward modernization.
“We have industry. We have companies. We have evolution in the medical field. We have evolution in universities,” he said.
Photos showed off the country’s modernization in the forms of the Riyadh Metro , the Jeddah Kingdom Tower and the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower.
Alessa said the purpose of the event is not only to inform guests about the nation’s strides toward modernization but also to dispel misunderstandings about the nation’s culture, particularly those perpetuated by the media.
“We would like to show other people that we don’t just live in a tent and have camels,” he said. “We are normal people. We are not ?different.”
