Brunei gained its independence from the British on 1 January 1984. Thus, 1 January is the Independence Day of the country, whose official name is Sultanate of Brunei, Abode of Peace or Negara Brunei Darussalam in Malay. However, that is not its biggest day. Brunei celebrates National Day every 23 February, almost two months after its Independence Day. What happens on 23 February?
1.
Although Brunei became an independent country on 1 January 1984, British control over the country was not fully eliminated until 23 February 1984.
2.
The National Day, which celebrates the independence of Brunei, was celebrated for the first time on 23 February 1984. Since then, it becomes a tradition to celebrate National Day every 23 February instead of the another day.
References:
http://publicholiday.org/calendar/brunei-national-day/
http://www.bt.com.bn/golden-legacy/2012/02/23/happy-national-day-everyone
Peter Haggett (ed). Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 1, Marshall Cavendish, 2001, p. 2913. (http://books.google.co.id/books?id=u6LJ65K9DisC&lpg=PA2913&dq=brunei+abode+of+peace&pg=PA2913&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=brunei%20abode%20of%20peace&f=false)
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