Qatar Celebrates National Day Same Day as World Cup Final
Qatar celebrates its most important holiday of the year through a bunch of events annually. This time, it is more of a special occasion, since on the same day as the national day the Fifa World Cup Final is also held in Qatar, which boosts the celebratory atmosphere in the country.
A Parade for the Qatar National Day. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Mohamod Fasil, CC BY 2.0
December 18 is Qatar’s National Day, which commemorates the unification of the country in 1878a and the day Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad bin Thani succeeded his father as the leader of the tribes in Qatar. In Vienna, on December 13, the Ambassador of Qatar to Austria H.E Sultan bin Salmeen Al-Mansouri invited several Ambassadors and Diplomats to a reception at Park Hyatt Vienna.
As part of the ceremony, the national anthems of Austria and Qatar were played, and a film about the World Cup preparations was shown. According to World Alliances Journal, the audience then heard from Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Al-Mansoori, Qatar's ambassador to Vienna, and several embassy representatives. Ambassador Sultan Salmeen Al-Mansouri, During his speech, emphasized the development of Austrian-Qatari relations, citing the organization of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 as a source of pride for his country and the Arab world.
In addition, in the country itself where at the same time the biggest sporting event was taking place, on the same day as the Qatar National Day, the FIFA Football World Cup Final between Argentina and France was held. Argentina won that match after penalties and the Qatari people used this opportunity to boost the celebration of the national day. In the presence of the Qatar head of state Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who also attended the final game, parades, air shows and fireworks including the World Championship Winners Parade down Lusail Boulevard after the final, all these events were part of the celebratory program, according to Vienna.at. 89.000 people attended the Lusail Stadium in the North of Doha.
On December 18, Qatar National Day, also known as Founder's Day, commemorates the country's unification in 1878. As the leader of the tribes of Qatar, Sheikh Jassim Bin Mohammad Bin Thani succeeded his father on this day. Originally celebrated on September 3, the day of Qatar's independence, the holiday was established on June 21, 2007. In honor of this day, Qataris decorate their cars and houses with the national flag and other patriotic symbols. Symbolizing significance and belonging, the flag represents the country's national identity and pride.