UAE National Day

On Thursday, December 2, 2010, the United Arab Emirates celebrated the founding of the country 39 years ago. Buildings were decorated and lit up in UAE colors, cars were adorned with pictures of the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and thousands of individual light displays were placed in the roadway medians. It was a National Holiday, so everyone had the day off of work and it seemed like everyone was down along the beach. In the evening, all the cars gathered at the Corniche and participated in an ad hoc parade with hundreds of thousands of people walking alongside reveling in all the sights and sounds. Drivers were honking, revved up engines were backfiring, and everyone was spraying Silly String. It was pretty chaotic by UAE standards. Around 10 PM, fireworks were shot off over Emirates Palace. The UAE has come a long way in just 39 years and all the locals have immense pride for their country’s achievements. We were happy to be part of the celebration.