UAE | General
UAE National Day: High on pride
A festive mood permeates the air as citizens and expatriates mark the UAE's 38th National Day
- by Derek Baldwin and Faisal Masudi, Senior Reporter and Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 December 3, 2009
- Image Credit: Karen Dias, XPRESS
- Patriotic gesture: A boy on a dhow at Dubai Creek waves the UAE flag
Dubai : Flags danced merrily in a cool National Day breeze across the country as Emiratis and expatriates celebrated the UAE's 38th National Day.
Scores of vessels filled Dubai Creek on Wednesday in a flotilla sponsored by the Dubai International Marine Centre - megayachts were draped in a sea of flags and led by Civil Defence boats performing fountain manoeuvres.
Crowds lined the Creek in Deira and Bur Dubai.
"This is important for us; every year we get a chance to stop and celebrate that we live in the best country in the world," said UAE Air Force Rtd Chief Warrant Officer Eisa Amiri before boarding the lead VIP vessel with his wife and six children.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents lined up on both sides of Emaar Boulevard to enjoy a parade marking 38 years of the Emirates' birth. From national policewomen on sports bikes to Emirati horsemen, the carnival was buzzing with UAE flags, its leaders' pictures and models of the country's landmarks.
Giant balloons in the shape of the Dubai Metro train were behind replicas of traditional homes to symbolise how the deserts here transformed into modern cities. Around six million people from all over the world now live in the seven emirates that make up the UAE.
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