UAE National Day

Joe had another 4 day weekend! He is normally off on Friday and Saturday, but this week, he's been home Thursday through Sunday. The United Arab Emirates is celebrating their 39th National Day, which is sort of the equivalent of our Independence Day on the 4th of July. Funny enough, both are to celebrate independence from Britian.

His company gave him the fancy scarf you see above, complete with pictures of the President and Vice President. These pictures are pasted on buildings all over the country.Above is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. He is the Vice President & Prime Minister of the UAE, and the reigning ruler of Dubai. This guy is Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi. The President and VP are elected by the Supreme Council, which is comprised of the leader of each of the seven emirates. The Prime Minister, or head of the Cabinet, is chosen by the President after "consultation with the Supreme Council." So, the UAE is not a democracy, but relies on the head of each emirate to serve as the voice. (UAE Interact) This is a display in the center of a roundabout in Al Ain. I'm guessing the pitcher symbolizes traditional Arabian coffee. They already had this "39" up when we went to the zoo, and I wondered what it meant. It's all making sense now :)

So, these Emiratis love to celebrate, especially when it comes to their country. The display of national flags on cars, buildings, and in the form of adorning scarves is not unlike the patriotism you'll see in the US on the 4th of July. The main difference I saw here was this: warnings to stay off the roads. This was purely word of mouth, but I hear that motorists will idle on Jumeirah Beach Road, revv their engines until they "explode," screech their tires until they burst, and even wreck their cars on purpose. The painted car windsheilds can't help the safety factor. And all of this is (supposedly) done by people who frown on the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

photo from gulfnews.com
Colin & I stayed in, but Joe did see some crazy tire squealing when he visited Pete & Simone who live just above the beach. Probably the most interesting thing I witnessed were cab drivers from surrounding countries proudly displaying UAE paraphenalia because they really do love the country they live and work in. Yep, I asked 'em.

photo from gulfnews.com

Happy 39th National Day!