Happy 40th U.A.E. National Day
December 4, 2011Posted by Kanga.
On December 2nd the United Arab Emirates turned 40.
We went to the Fujairah Fort to join in the celebrations. There was music, dancing, food, and fun.
The third week of the Al Saif sword throwing competition was held in this arena.
The swords used have thin flexible blades to reduce the chances of injury. Competitors balance the swords, feign mock fights, and toss the swords up into the air as high as possible.
The sword must be tossed from inside the circle on the arena floor and, hopefully, caught safely while remaining inside the circle.
I don’t know all the details of the scoring system, but points can be lost for loss of headwear, failure to catch the sword, or landing outside the circle. Two young men compete at a time and when done stand before the judges for evaluation.
After the competition finished, the little boys not, yet, old enough to compete took the opportunity to try their hands at it.
Living the Travel Channel 
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