Posts Tagged ‘National Day’

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December Lights

December 16, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

I have to admit that I do miss the cold weather of winter and the American holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Years Day. The weather here gets down into the 70’s (Fahrenheit) which is pleasant, but not very wintery. We aren’t bombarded with Christmas shopping commercials and ads. We don’t get to see “It’ a Wonderful Life” or “Frosty the Snowman” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or “Miracle on 34th Street” on the TV. The last three years I haven’t had any time off for Christmas, even working the day when it fell on a weekday. So, it doesn’t seem much like Christmas.

Happily, one thing that hasn’t been missing is lights. The U.A.E.’s anniversary falls on December 2nd. This means lots of red, green and white lights. This year was a special anniversary – 40 years – so there was even more celebration.

dancers in vibrant fucia

There were concerts, dance performances, jet ski parades, air shows…

firework blast

Fireworks on multiple occassions…

truck decorated with pictures and flag colors

Decorating one’s vehicle with pictures of the leaders and colors of the flag is a widespread tradition.

building draped in red, white and green lights

And lights, everywhere.

central market covered in white lights

This is the Fujairah central souk (market – meat, fruit, vegetables, clothes).

light shaped as four zero

The number 40 is everywhere.

building draped in red, green and white lights

Lights are done in a big way.

decorative light attached to a lamp post

I particularly like the lights shaped like boys carrying the flag.

light post decor shaped like a boy carrying a flag

My favorite building display is the Fujairah Municipality Building.

building draped in multi-colored lights

It has been a pleasant celebration season and a delight for the eyes. Happy 40th Anniversary to the United Arab Emirates.

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Happy 40th U.A.E. National Day

December 4, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

On December 2nd the United Arab Emirates turned 40.

drummers and a piper

We went to the Fujairah Fort to join in the celebrations. There was music, dancing, food, and fun.

Fujairah Fort and the competition arena

The third week of the Al Saif sword throwing competition was held in this arena.

young man balancing a sword on his palm

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.

two young men feigning a fight

The sword must be tossed from inside the circle on the arena floor and, hopefully, caught safely while remaining inside the circle.

two competitors before the panel of judges

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.

boys playing in the arena

After the competition finished, the little boys not, yet, old enough to compete took the opportunity to try their hands at it.