December 16 was Bahrain National Day. This year was the island's 40th year of independence. To celebrate, people wore Bahraini traditional dress or flag-themed dress and drove around in cars waving flags especially near the clock tower round-about- near the Riffa Palace. All the trees were decked out like Bahraini flags- red and white- makes it seem a lot like Christmas! (Although I am told the lights come down promptly on the 24th!) Everyone was honking, hanging out windows and sunroofs, with their cars decorated with flags, pictures of the royal family and tinsel. Families and friends, including us, would park on the side of the road and take photos by the lit trees. That picture of Roger and the kids is taken with a photo of the crown prince. The king's photo was a lot more crowded! Everyone had mad national spirit! It was really fun to be part of it. The Bahrain flag has a white serrated edge with five points on a red ground. The five white points represent the five pillars of Islam which are shahada (there is no God but God and Muhammad is His messenger), salat (daily prayers), sawm (fasting during Ramadan), zakat (giving alms), and hajj (a pilgrimage to Mecca). Red is a traditional color for the Arab gulf countries. Qatar has a very similar flag.
No comments:
Post a Comment