Feb 04, 2017
Sri Lanka National Day 2017
This Doodle’s Key Themes
On February 4th, the island country of Sri Lanka celebrates 69 years of independence from British rule. Formerly known as Ceylon, the country attained self-rule in 1948 while remaining a British dominion. This continued until 1972 when it became a republic and was renamed Sri Lanka.
Observed as a national holiday, the main celebration usually takes place in the capital of Colombo, with dances, parades, and a flag raising ceremony and national address led by the president. As it is a day for remembrance as well as celebration, the president also observes two minutes of silence in memory of Sri Lanka’s national heroes, past and present.
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