Rabat – November 18 is a national holiday in Morocco, marking the day that the nation celebrates its independence from colonial rule every year.
To celebrate the anniversary, Google has changed its official logo to a “doodle” featuring the Moroccan flag waving high in the sky on its search engine home page.
Until the early 1960s, Morocco celebrated Independence Day on March 2. The kingdom gained independence from French colonial rule on March 2, 1956, and from Spain on April 7 of the same year.
However, just two days after his return from forced exile on November 18, 1955, King Mohammed V delivered a speech from Rabat announcing the era of Spanish and French colonialism was coming to an end.
Read also: Moroccan Independence Day: Remembering our History and Celebrating our Future
When King Mohammed’s son, King Hassan II, inherited the throne in 1961, he officially changed the date of Morocco’s Independence Day as a tribute to his father.
Google’s celebration of Moroccan Independence Day has become a yearly tradition.
Google “doodles” are decorative changes made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, scientists, and athletes. The Google logo that appears on search pages varies depending on IP address and geographical location.
