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Saluting the Nation

From individuals to public and private organisations, everyone added to the great party. Early morning, in quite residential areas, people were still busy decorating their cars, nationals as well as expatriates. Most of them were using flags and pictures of the great Shaikhs of UAE, but some families clearly took weeks of preparations, as they created intricate decorations made of paper and textiles in the national flag colours.

By lunch time, everyone was heading towards the Corniche and the Breakwaters, where the main street parties were focusing. Families and friends, some accompanied by their pets, took over all the central parks and green areas, setting up tents and barbeques, while watching the general fun on the streets, where cars of all shapes and sizes, even trucks, were rolling up and down in an a lively display of colours and deafening rhythm of horn sounds and fragments of Emirati music.

The majority of overseas tourists were to be seen at the Heritage Village, which, as usual on such occasions, did not disappoint in showcasing the best of UAE’s traditions and customs. The souq, the craftsmen and women making swords, pottery, carpets, ornaments and dresses, the sweet smell of Arabic doughnuts coming from the women’s cooking tent or the spicy aroma of fresh Arabic coffee, the traditional drum music and singing were an authentic reminder of this very same place 37 years ago.

Also in the Heritage Village, a traditional rowing competition was organised by the Emirates Heritage Club (EHC) in the afternoon. Under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and President of EHC, 1,088 rowers from across the UAE competed in 64 boats, some of them 40 feet long. The competitors rowed over three sea miles, split in four groups, each group carrying one of the national flag’s colours. Top three winners of each of the four groups were awarded Dh110,000, Dh100,000 and Dh90,000 prize money, respectively.

Towards the end of the afternoon, huge crowds gathered on the new public beach, where the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) put up a show of traditional music, circus performances and dancing.

While it proved quite a challenge to grasp all that was happening on the ground, everyone kept glancing at the endless display of helicopters paragliders and the UAE’s largest flag, towed by a helicopter. As the sun was setting, residents and tourists alike started moving towards the public beach behind the Emirates Palace, where the world’s largest-ever fireworks show was promised, followed by a three-musician concert, including Mohammed Abdou.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE