RIYADH: The American Embassy held a special Independence Day celebration on Sunday, to mark the country’s 240th birthday.

Ambassador Joseph W. Westphal said the event, commemorated every year on July 4, was held early in Saudi Arabia to take advantage of the pleasant weather.

This year’s National Day also closely coincides with the country’s President’s Day, celebrated on the third Monday of February to honor all of the presidents who have served the US.

Addressing the guests, which included Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, Westphal said that the theme of this year’s celebration, the State Fair, was held to showcase the country’s heritage and the focus on bringing people together.

Thanking everyone for wearing the country’s national dress, the blue jeans, he said: “You know, we began as a nation in the 1800s really as an agricultural nation, an agricultural economy. And in the 1800s some of the first state fairs began to appear, in New York and other places.

“They were basically created to strengthen the competition of our agricultural economy, to train farmers, to help farmers to develop their agriculture, but also to showcase the diversity of the state, and to bring to focus all the things that made that particular state, whether it was New York, California, a unique place to live, and to raise a family ...”

He said that he wanted to highlight the manner in which America and Saudi Arabia were being brought together, through commerce and people. “It’s about connecting with your friends, connecting with your families, connecting with your identity as a person in a state, and tonight I want to thank all our Saudi friends who are here, because this is a way that we connect with you as well. We share our culture, we share our diversity, we show you what we’re about, and we learn from you.”

The event included a live band playing Bluegrass, folk music of the US, and an exhibition of calligraphy, with specific productions from Saudi artists.