Syria Edition
Regional/Cultural Day
Eid al-Jala'a
The anniversary of the 1946 evacuation of the last French troops from Syria. The day is observed with ceremonies and the reminder that Syria was the first Arab country to achieve full independence from the French mandate. The French ruled Syria for 26 years (1920-1946), dividing the country into autonomous zones and suppressing the Great Syrian Revolt of 1925. Evacuation Day is a reminder of the cost of independence : the nationalists who were hanged in Martyrs' Square, the villages that were bombed, and the years of resistance that preceded the French departure. The day is marked by military parades, school pageants, and the telling of independence stories.
