UAE celebrates 39th National Day

Every year on 2ndDecember, the National Day of United Arab Emirates comes alive in a burst of colour and festivity across the nation. This year marks 39 years since its founding and we bring you details on the festivities held to mark the occasion   

The world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa was the fitting venue for this year’s grand UAE National Day celebrations, when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended a ceremony organized to commemorate the 39th anniversary of National Day. The Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Fund as well as culture and arts of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Ad Maktoum, His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ministers, dignitaries and special guests also attended the glittering event.

After an impressive military parade, scenes from the formation of the federation were shown on a giant screen and later the musical operetta ‘Kulluna Khalifa’ was performed in the English language.

The public parks host organized rides and contests with prizes. In the evening the sky over the major cities lights up in a rainbow of colors with laser shows and fireworks over the countryside, creating a unique atmosphere of celebration and fun. It also includes many dance and music festivals, shows, concerts and more.
To celebrate the occasion, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) organized three performances of the historical musical play "Zayed’s Dream" at the Palladium auditorium in Dubai Media City as part of the international tour of the play, which has already been presented in Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Paris and London. It was created by ADACH in 2008 by the order of HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, alongwith the Lebanese dance troupe Caracalla.

This play is hailed as a brilliant artistic project inspired by the life of the late HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE, which portrays the spectacular heritage and roots of the region. Over a hundred artists and poets from the UAE and other countries participated in this show, which blends many kinds of art, in addition to performances by poets from the UAE and other Arab countries.

Every year, the celebrations to mark UAE’s National Day usually last from 2nd to 4th   December. And it is marked by colourful parades and concerts with broadcasts on Central Television. Boat races, exhibitions of the best enterprises in manufacturing and many other cultural events dedicated to the celebration, attract tens of thousands of local residents and tourists.

The visionary leader, the late HH Sheikh Zayed has achieved great success in less than thirty years in realizing the dream of a whole nation in grand unification. He built a strong state and laid the solid foundation of the United Arab Emirates, whose standard of living today ranks among the regions highest.

A historic day
It was 39 years ago on 2nd December 1971 that a new political map of the world, took shape as a federation of six monarchies, now known as the United Arab Emirates. Six emirs - heads of principalities Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al-Quwain and hundreds of invited guests for the first time heard the national anthem.
The founders of the country, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum became its first President and Prime Minister respectively.

A year later, on Feb. 16, 1972, the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah joined the Federation.
After reading out the declaration of independence, political adviser to the President of the UAE Mohammed al-Suwaidi, first raised the national flag over the palace of the Ruler of Dubai.

The UAE’s national flag colors are symbolic: white - means the future, black - past, red - blood shed for freedom, green - the color of life and Islam. On December 2nd every year, the colourful flags decorate building, cars and streets across the UAE recalling the historic moment of its founding and heralding greater things to come.