Abu Dhabi: Women seated on woven palm frond mats cooked lugaimat, a traditional sweet soaked in date syrup, while young girls applied henna on their hands. A little distance away, dozens of boys performed their own version of the youla, an Emirati dance performed with sticks.
These were some of the many events and activities organised on Tuesday by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) to celebrate the United Arab Emirates ahead of the upcoming 41st National Day. The day-long celebrations, entitled ‘Educated Generations Celebrating the Union’, saw hundreds of pupils from public and private schools in attendance, along with their teachers and families.
Schools set up stalls displaying Emirati handicrafts and arts, and a host of cultural performances were conducted alongside. In addition, football and basketball matches, as well as drawing and painting competitions, were held.
‘Educated generations’, a song written by renowned Emirati poet Ali Al Khawar, was also performed on the occasion.
Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, director general of the Adec, stressed on the important role played by schools in promoting identity, values and traditions among children.
Maitha Al Dhaheri, 13, a grade 9 Emirati pupil from Al Maha Girls School in Abu Dhabi city, said she herself had learnt a lot about Emirati culture while preparing for the event.
“Our stall displays the cosmetics used by Emirati women in the past, such as sandalwood for perfumes and kohl as eyeliner. These are some of the practices we got a closer look into as we set up our school’s stall, and we now want to pass on the knowledge to others,” she told Gulf News.
Maitha added that she looks forward to celebrating National Day with her family each year.
“We buy new clothes, talk about our colourful history and visit traditional spots like the Emirates Heritage Village,” she added.
At his school’s tent, Mohammad Ali, 14, was tending to models of animals seen in the UAE.
“For example, we have a model of a falcon, as well as desert lizards and snakes. Not many people know how rich animal life is in the UAE, and this is why we have focused on it in our display,” said the Emirati grade 10 pupil from Al Khatm School.
A number of pupils from private schools had also set up stalls at the event, in accordance with instructions from the Adec requiring private schools to celebrate National Day this year. A circular regarding this was sent out to all 185 private schools, and the schools were asked to submit their plans for celebrating the 41st National Day to the Adec.
Athena Thomas, a 15-year-old Singaporean-Greek pupil at Al Raha International School, said she was visiting the Adec celebrations to gain inspiration for the festivities to be held later this week at her own school.
“I’ve also had a chance to taste some traditional Emirati foods, and learn about the UAE’s 40-year journey,” she said.
