Sonyia - they didn't shift their National Day. September 3rd wasIindependence day (when the gained independence from the British protectorate). They decided that 18th December (when "Shaikh Jassim, the founder of the State of Qatar, succeeded his father, Shaikh Muhammad Bin Thani, as the ruler and led the country toward unity.") would be a better day to celebrate, and called it National Day.