According to the Islamic calendar, the National Day of Maldives falls on the 1st of Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of Hijri (Islamic) calendar.
A rebellion was launched when the colonial power attempted to forcefully impose Christianity on the Maldives with the threat of death.
[2] This was described as: A time when intolerable enormities were committed by the invading infidels, a time when the sea grew red with Maldivian blood, a time when people were sunk in despair[3] It was later in 1573; Muhammad Thakurufaanu arrived the capital Malé along with his companions and succeeded in ending the fifteen-year colonial rule of the Portuguese.
Since then, 1st of Rabee ul Awwal each Islamic year is marked as a National Day of the Republic of Maldives.
[1] Celebrations of the day include parades, color festivals and route marches on the streets of Malé, and in islands.