Festive mood in Dubai, Sharjah

Dubai/Sharjah - In Dubai, thousands of residents watched as the iconic Burj Khalifa illuminated with colours of the UAE flag with an extraordinary presentation.

Streets and houses are shining in UAE colours as residents of Dubai and Sharjah continue celebrating the 46th UAE National Day. 
Emiratis as well as expatriates, who flocked to several locations to be part of the celebrations on Saturday, were seen waving miniature flags. They celebrated the special day in different ways- Some awaited for the Burj Khalifa to illuminate into UAE flag colours, while others went out to a theme park with family. A few others watched the parade.
In Dubai, thousands of residents watched as the iconic Burj Khalifa illuminated with colours of the UAE flag with an extraordinary presentation.
Celebrations also took place in other areas of Dubai, including JBR, where festivities for the young ones attracted many families. Activities such as face painting, basket weaving, live cooking of Emirati dishes, puppet paper art and a parade took place.
Sharjah also did not hold back with going full force in celebrating the country's national day. A parade took place at the Sharjah Aquarium and Sharjah Flag Island - bringing together countless of residents who wanted to celebrate the national day together as a community. 
One Afghan expat, Sifat Noor, has been a Dubai resident for 20 years. He feels as if UAE is his home.
"We have been celebrating the national day for years. We celebrate UAE's national day just like we celebrate our own country's Independence Day," he said. 
"We all have strong UAE pride and we buy the miniature flags and we watch the parades at JBR because it is closer to my home. One day if we move back to Afghanistan, I will always remember how we spent this day each year and we will celebrate it there too."
Laith Al Obaidani, an Emirati, said his plans for the national day included watching the Burj Khalifa turn into UAE flag colours and have dinner with his family at Dubai Mall.
"This is a very special day for us and a very important day. We will not sit at home. We will go out and join in with the people and see how our country is celebrating. The most special way to celebrate has always been seeing the Burj Khalifa and then a nice dinner at Dubai Mall with the entire family. In the morning time we will be at the Dubai Parks and Resorts," Al Obaidani said.
"The best memories I have of National day is when we would go over to our grandmother's house and she would cook us delicious meals.
One Pakistani expat in Sharjah, Riham Jaaved, was born in the UAE. She also feels as if UAE is her home and aims to celebrate the national day in full force.
"In Sharjah, when the streets get filled in the evening, you can see the love for the country everyone here has, whether they are expats or Emiratis. The leadership of this country has created a love and bond between all residents here and we all feel as a strong community," she said.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com
 

• UAE
• Dubai
• Sharjah