Let’s start the celebrations for the National Day as the UAE community will unite in harmony as they lend their voices to a unique performance of the UAE National Anthem for the 49th UAE National Day (“UAE Anthem campaign to unite country ahead of N-Day,” Nov.24, Gulf Today).

A dedicated page on the celebration’s official website, uaenationalday.ae, was activated on Monday wherein UAE residents would know the how-tos for the recording and submission.

UAE National Day is celebrated on 2 December each year in the United Arab Emirates. The National Day of UAE falls on the anniversary of the federal unification of the seven emirates in 1971 which combined to form the modern-day country.

Grand celebrations are held across the country to mark the event.  Fireworks, car rallies and dance shows are the most common activities. According to a survey over 57 per cent of UAE residents were anticipated to see the famous UAE fireworks during the last UAE National day weekend.

People will usually dress up in UAE national flag colours, decorate their homes, workplaces, cars and streets to celebrate the day with joy and happiness. The palm trees are decorated with lights from the colours of the flag. Hotels and other public sites are decorated with the flags and lights.

The Organising Committee of the Official 49th National Day Celebration is seeking to bring people together by inviting them to record their own vocal performances of the anthem, in a campaign titled “Eishy Bilady” — the first two words of the UAE’s National Anthem in Arabic, which means ‘long live our country.’

Selected recordings will also be featured on the official National Day social media sites namely Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Saed Bin Abdullah
By email