Traditional Dress of UAE

 

 

For Men

 

For Women

 

UAE National Dress – Male Kandura The Kandura, or dishdash, as it is referred to by the expats, is the long white cloak that male UAE Nationals wear. You will be amazed at how these remain crease free during the day – and they never look dirty. During the winter months, a whole realm of different colours come out, with browns and greys not uncommon. You may have seen pictures of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid walking in his iconic colours that are now his trademark. Only the traditional white is seen in summer because it reflects the suns rays. The men may change their Kandura a number of times in the day to go to different events (work, prayers, dinner etc) and so the men’s clothes remain looking spick and span. A UAE National might have 50 or so Kandura’s in his closet, and have up to 20 of those with the dry cleaners at any one time. A typical kandura would cost between 100 and 200 Dirhams to get tailored. You may see the difference in those Kanduras that are worn by those in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In Dubai, you can sometimes have Kanduras with collars and cuffs, as opposed to the traditional types. Guthra The guthra is the headscarf sported by the males. The most popular colours are the plain white, or the red and white checks. These checks are traditional to the Beduin, since the material used was tougher than the other and useful for protection against the elements in the desert. Nowadays, colours come in all types to match with the latest fashion. Also, the way that guthra is worn can define who someone is. Egal The Egal is the black rope that fixes the headscarf in place. In days gone by, these would be used by Bedouin to tie their camel’s feet down during the night while they were travelling. More of the younger nationals these days do not wear their egal and tie their guthra in a different way on their head. This is called hamdaniya. Ghafiyah Ever seen a Muslim prayer hat? The ghafiyah looks exactly like this, but since it is usually under the guthra, you wont necessarily see it. It is usually white in colour with designs woven in. Kerkusha Look closely at a male’s kandura, and you will see a small string like contraption flowing from the neck. This is the kerkusha. Some aliken it to a tie, and it is not always worn, though those who do wear it sometimes are inclined to play around with it. Bisht Those in power can be seen wearing the bisht which is similar to a jacket that is worn on top of the kandura. Also, the bisht is worn during specical occasions such as Eid or weddings, for example, and also when visiting a Sheikh. Faneela A faneela is like a vest worn under the Kandura. Woozar A woozar is a a piece of white cloth which is tied around the waist under the Kandura. You’ll never see one! Na-aal These are essentially the sandals that are worn. You may find that shoes are actually worn instead. People say that those in Dubai wear shoes whereas those in Abu Dhabi are sandal wearers. UAE National Dress – Female Abaya The long flowing black gown worn by the UAE National Females is known as the Abaya. Somewhat misunderstood by the west, the abaya is an elegant piece of attire and used to cover the female clothing. Abayas range from the plain to those with intricate jewel designs. Accordingly, the prices range between 100 and 2500 Dirhams for each Abaya. Ladies will wear western dress, local dress or even indian type clothes, under their abayas. The main reason for wearing the Abaya is concern for modesty, with the most devoted covering their faces, as well as all viewable skin. Shela The Shela is the piece of material used to loosely cover their head. This is sometimes black, especially those used to cover the face. And since the material is very light it is possible for the lady to see through the material. More recently, the shela is usually designer material, the most popular being Givenchy, Dior and the like and these are sometimes matched with their hangbags to produce a super cool outfit. Hijab The Hijab is not usually worn by UAE Nationals, and more usually by some Muslims from the other GCC countries. The Hijab is a covering of the head, to ensure that the hair is not exposed, usually with one or two pieces of material. Burqa The Burqa actually represents two items: one, the covering of the head except for a slit for the eyes; the other item is the metallic coloured object used to cover part of the face, and these days is only used by the older generation – this is specific to the UAE. Gishwa The Gishwa is the thin black veil that covers the face of the female. It is just dark enough for you not to be able to make out who is underneath, and just light enough for the female to see through. This makes it easier for the woman to travel around in freedom Jelabia Mukhawara Although, in normal life, you will never see this, this item is the traditional outfit worn by the females, similar to a flowing gown in some great colours. Worn to weddings or special occasions. Gafaaz Sometimes, you will see Ladies wearing gloves, to ensure that all of their skin is covered. Gafaaz is the literal translation of gloves in Arabic.

http://www.grapeshisha.com/UAE-National-clothing.html

Food in UAE

 

 

Different types of Food and Cuisine in the Middle East

The UAE is an excellent place to sample all types of Gulf and Middle Eastern Cuisine, including Iranian and Lebanese food. You will often see buffet spreads with huge amounts of food. These will usually contain:

Hummous: a dip made from chick peas and sesame seeds
Tabouleh: chopped parsley, mint and crunched wheat
Ghuzi: a whole roast lamb on a bed of rice, mixed with nuts
Wara enab: vine leaves stuffed with rice
Koussa mahshi: stuffed corgettes

Local dishes include:
Matchbous: spiced lamb with rice
Hareis: a rich delicacy of slow cooked wheat and tender lamb
Seafood: served with specialty rice

Naturally dates are an important feature of the varied Arabian meals

Desserts from the region include:
Umm Ali: a type of bread pudding
Esh asaraya: a sweet type of cheesecake with cream on top
Mehalabiya: pudding sprinkled with rose water and pistachios

Seafood is very popular from this region as the Arabian Gulf and he Gulf of Oman serve some locale specialities – lobster, cigale, crab, hammour, shrimp, tuna, kingfish, pomfret, and red snapper. Many hotels will have seafood buffets where you can indulge yourself in these various dishes.

A traditional and very popular snack is the shawarma – grilled slices of delicately spiced lamb or chicken, mixed with salad, and rolled inside a pocket of Arabic bread. It is sold all over the the UAE, and is considered the fast food of the Middle East! Some also contain chilli sauce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and french fries. If you want a good Shawarma, try the Automatic Restaurant or Lebanese flower.

Another popular Lebanese type food is manakish which is baked bread meal with toppings. Traditionally, it is served for breakfast or lunch depending on its topping, but the bakeries that serve these pastries are usually open late at night. You could liken it to a pizza and usually is it served folded. Some toppings to try for the novice are cheese, zaatar (thyme) with cheese, labneh (yoghurt type cream) or minced beef. If unsure, when ordering try, Manakish Bjibne (with cheese and olives) or Lahem Bel Ajin (open pie topped with ground beef and lamb, pine nuts, onions and herb)

Other dishes you could try are:
Falafel – fried chick peas
Moutabal: Broiled eggplant, blended with tahini and lemon and olive oil
Fried kibbeh – ground meat (usually lamb or mutton) with bulghur wheat and seasonings
Fatteh (with labaan) – baked chicked peas/pita dish (served with a type of Middle Eastern yoghurt)
Shish Tawook – marinated skewered chicken
Khoshkash kebab – skewered meat in a spicy tomato sauce
Arayes kofta – bread with grilled lamb
Fattoush – salad with a tangy lemon dressing topped with crisped pastry
Baba Ghanoush – eggplant mixed with sesame and garlic
Kellaj – Lebanese bread filled with halloumi cheese, charcoal grilled

The Arabian diet is very focused on meat, so you can often get a meat grill with a mixture of the meat which is a good plate to share

For deserts, you could try Knafeh, which is a semolina type desert with cheese and syrup. You will see many of the shops offering baklava, which is sweet filo pastry stuffed with nuts and covered in syrup.

Also, as far as drinks go, the availability of fresh juices is amazing and at very reasonable prices. People like to try the fruit cocktail which is a luxurious heavy concoction, that is sprinkled with pistachios. Other fruit juices are available, but if you don’t want sugar added, just say so. Sahlab is a milky type drink which is popular during Ramadan. It is quite sweet and topped with cinnamon.

There are many Kind of Emirati Traditional Food i will show you some of them

 

Gemat = اللقيمات

 

Balalet = بلاليط

 

Kameer = خمير

 

Harees = هريــــــــــس

 

Arsyah = عرسيـــــه

 

http://www.grapeshisha.com/tourist-guide/sheikh-zayed-mosque-abu-dhabi.html

Wedding in UAE

People differ in a lot of things to different locations and styles of these differences, the differences in lifestyles and habits and traditions. This is reflected in the marriage ceremonies, which marked the UAE community from other communities.

As a tradition in the UAE, the setting of the wedding date marks the beginning of the bride’s preparation for her wedding. Although the groom is also put through a series of preparations, the bride’s preparations are naturally more elaborate and time consuming.
In preparation for her wedding, she is anointed with all sorts of traditional oils and perfumes from head to toe. Her body is rubbed with cleansing and conditioning oils and creams, the hands and feet are decorated with henna and the hair is washed with extracts of amber and jasmine. She is fed only the best of foods and her girlfriends prepare the best dishes which they share with her. Traditionally, she is not seen for forty days except for family members as she rests at home in preparation for her wedding day. Fine pieces of jewelry, perfumes, silk materials, and other necessary items are presented to her by the groom, from which she creates her elaborate trousseau .
The festivities usually take about one week before the wedding night. During that week, traditional music, continuous singing, and dancing take place reflecting the joy shared by the bride’s and the groom’s family. Nowadays, although most weddings are celebrated in less than one week, they are just as elaborate and ceremonial, if not more.

Thus we see that the marriage of fashion in the UAE is not much different than it is now. The husband was to pay the dowry demands and the costs of marriage. The most important thing done by the bride before the wedding night is the night of Privet and acquiring preparation for the wedding. And all this an expensive proposition .To reduce this, Sheikh Zayed support youth by the Marriage Fund, as well as the State to enact laws to reduce the dowry. I suggest that keep on Marriage Fund and all of father must less of cost dowry.

This video about Man’s wedding in UAE

The National Day in UAE

 

With its 38^th National Day on its way, UAE has already pulled up its socks to celebrate its National Day on 2^nd December. The hearts of every emerati are filled with the overwhelming memories of 2^nd December 1971 when UAE made a history by acquiring independence from the British Colonial Rule. The Al-Eid Al Watani (in Arabic) is celebrated with great zeal all over UAE with splendid aura of triumph.

UAE has trampled long strides since its birth 38 years ago. With the proud maturity in its infrastructures, trade, economy or tourism, UAE has been an object of wonder. Since the day it attained independence in the leadership of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE has never looked behind in any of its developing areas. The country proudly rests in the list of most relished tourist places of the world. The day is a national holiday but the major monuments are open to the public.

UAE National Day 2009 will take pleasure in comprising 61 events in all by the ministry of culture in union with other state bodies under the chairmanship of Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, minister of culture, youth and community development. According to him the logo will act as an official element for all the communication across the seven emirates which is a pleasant brush stroke this year.

With its concrete social, cultural and religious values in addition to the vision and wisdom of its leaders, the country promises to exercise harmonious environment in this cosmopolitan society in future as well.

National Anthem

http://emiratesupdate.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/uae-national-day/

Camel Racing in UAE

Camels, called the “Ships of the Desert,” have an indisputable place of prominence in UAE history. Camel-racing, a traditional sport, is extremely popular in the Emirates. It was originally staged in an informal setting, at weddings or special festivals, but now customized tracks have been built throughout the country where race meetings are held in the winter months from October to April, culminating in the annual camel race festival at Al Wathba which attracts entrants from all over the world.

For centuries, the desert way of life remained unchanging, which included the high socio-economic importance of the camel. With the oil boom, parts of the region transformed and many aspects of traditional life disappeared. The camel maintained its symbolic significance while technology replaced the practical need for the animal. With the advent of wealth, the affected nations were introduced to Western lifestyle, technology, and luxury. The force of such powerful changes caused the gradual disappearance of time-honored traditions and customs, which awakened a sense of urgency when people realized their proud and rich history was fading away. The importance of holding on to those traditions that characterized the spirit of the region was revived, which included camel racing.

http://www.dubaishoppingfestival.com/attraction/camel-racing.htm

History of Diving

The History of Diving as you would have imagined is simply from people jumping off things into the water. The earliest forms of diving took the form of people jumping off cliffs, hills or trees. As diving history progressed people began to jump off of man made features such as buildings, bridges and fishing piers. Some of the original dwellers from exotic places used to impress the tourists while cliff diving and it sparked an interest in these individuals to take the feat back to there homes which helped spread diving.

The earliest of competitions in diving history was in the late 1800’s. Often performed throughout Europe most every athlete performed the basic forward straight dive. Diving first debuted in the Olympics in St. Louis at the 1904 games where only made its first Olympic appearance at the 1904 St. Louis Games. It wasn’t until 1908 that springboard diving was invented.

Around the early 1900’s the diving world began to relax a number of its rules which started the evolution of pikes, tucks and somersaults. Diving has since evolved into a highly athletic display of power, skill and grace. A sport that has roots in gymnastics more so than swimming, which is evident of its Swedish ancestors who practiced training for gymnastics by landing in the water.

Diving always gains popularity around the time of the Summer Olympics as spectators line up to see incredible feats of flexibility, strength and power. The most prominent diver in US diving history is Greg Louganis, who went on to win several gold medals in dramatic fashion. The US has always recognized diving at every scholastic level. Most high schools and colleges maintain diving teams that often train with the swim teams. But don’t get them mixed up, as divers are definitely not considered swimmers.

The history of diving is a simple one that involves the evolution of a sport from something as simple as jumping off high elevations into water. The sport has become one of tremendous athletes conquering great feats in the air that leave spectators breathless. From the summer pool party to the greatest athletes in the world, diving will always be great fun….So goes the history of diving.