Qatar National Day

nomerci
By nomerci

So, for the first time since I live here I went out to see the celebration.
The roads were jampacked with smiling, happy people..celebrating , having a truly good time.
They walked/ drove by us, waved, smiled ,I took loads of pics...it was GREAT.
I really felt the joy, and felt I was invited to share it with everybody.
The fireworks were beautiful...a truly enjoyable evening!

Although the traffic was, as it is when there is street festival, slow moving and sometimes not moving at all..but that is how it was meant to be..people were partying on the street...in their cars, outside, on the cars,,you name it, it was happening.
Nobody was pushing, everybody was super courteous and friendly.

We had a fabulous time.

Mods, please lock this, I don't want any bashing here..I just wanted to say thanks, and we had a great time.

By psrafeeq• 25 Dec 2011 22:28
psrafeeq

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By psrafeeq• 25 Dec 2011 22:28
psrafeeq

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By Jaykay• 20 Dec 2011 19:06
Jaykay

Honeybunch & Nomerci - Yeah U r correct.. I was so unhappy to see the flags lying on the road... Its a Dis-respect to the nation... I am really wondering... People are stamping on their foot... I have taken the pic of that...

In the morning, we started at 7am from our home,.. dint get the parking... at last we found an area..where we had to walk to the corniche., say 3kms... then we dint get a place to walk through the streets where the parade took place.. but somehow I could manage with my 30x Zoom lens camera... so took some snaps... But I really enjoyed the evening Fireworks.. Actually the crowd has reduced this National Day... Last two years... omg... crowd was so much...

It took 2 hours from corniche to my home.

The worst part is... one car got fire and everybody was not ready to help... taking photos and videos... they were enjoying the car burning... I was not there. but I saw the video today posted in Qatar Living.

By nomerci• 19 Dec 2011 23:58
nomerci

honeybunch...that is something I was too wondering about..in my country the national flag can NEVER be on the ground. There is actually a heavy fine if that happens.

Maybe it is different here.

By honeybunch• 19 Dec 2011 23:46
honeybunch

wonderful day. i really admire the way the locals show their love for their country and as well even the expats respect the Qatar national day and enjoy...but i don't understand why there is no respect for the country's flag ..it was all lying around on the road...

By ghazalz• 19 Dec 2011 14:20
ghazalz

An unforgettable day, we all felt the joy in the air!

By britexpat• 19 Dec 2011 14:13
britexpat

I remember well the Moose Ducking Festival of '72 at Saskatoon. What a time was had by all.

By Life Rockz• 19 Dec 2011 13:50
Rating: 2/5
Life Rockz

all through the morning parade, i was just wondering how tiring day it would be for the cops, standing whole day and managing the traffic and the people.... u deserve the credit......

the fighter planes were ausome.... and so were the cheers from the crowd when the King arrived.....

The night party in corniche was kinda carnival which was something totally amazing.... but at the same time, too many accidents on the roads made it a bit scary!

Yesterday was indeed a long enjoyable day......

By qatarisun• 19 Dec 2011 13:27
Rating: 4/5
qatarisun

although it took two hours to cover a distance from Ramada to my home in West Bay (you can imagine!), I was not irritated or annoyed or angry.. They smiled, they danced, they waved, they posed for the photos.. to move was not a priority for them.. they were celebrating on the streets.. I obviously was prepared for this, considering it's my 5th Qatar National Day.. so I just enjoyed it.

By FathimaH• 19 Dec 2011 13:14
FathimaH

Its always a pleasure to read about someone's positive and emotionally uplifting experience like this. Glad you had so much fun =D

By timebandit• 19 Dec 2011 11:10
timebandit

We had a wonderful evening. We had a table outside at the Al Mourjan restaurant with spectacular views as it juts out into the corniche. And enjoyed a lovely meal at the same time (and hot chocolate as it was a little chilly).

I made the effort to watch the fireworks last year and was so impressed there was no way I was going to miss it ever again while I am here in Qatar. Well done Qatar, this is an event to be proud of.

Regarding the traffic. I knew what was coming, and had conditioned my mind to it. Going home was a tiring experience but the evening made it well worth the effort.

By ishu369• 19 Dec 2011 10:16
Rating: 4/5
ishu369

well its their National Day and they have all the rights to celebrate it and the expats too were on the street celebrating.

At the same time the traffic was blocked in all areas near Westbay which is the housing a lot of hotels, residential units and offices which were all working during this day too.

the staff find it difficult to reach the office for their shift, the staff had to wait a long time to reach back home after their evening duties.

people old and women and children were on roads for long time especially after the fire works and then all roads were jammed.

though interesting and exciting the shows are, i personally feel its a bit more to do here.

By t_coffee_or_me• 19 Dec 2011 10:01
t_coffee_or_me

The only downside was accidents saw 4 and one very serious but this one was on our way home on the new Airport Road one scooter got knocked down by a 4X4.

By Lady in black• 19 Dec 2011 09:57
Lady in black

I also loved the celebrations...Its feels really good to see that qataris celebrate their day with so much enthusiasm...

By GodFather.• 19 Dec 2011 09:39
GodFather.

Glad you enjoyed it NM and got home without too much hassle, but I guess you were well prepared for what to expect and hence enjoyed it..:)

By anonymous• 19 Dec 2011 09:30
anonymous

Yes. Wonderful day for all. Glad you enjoyed it!

Yes, mods please lock this before the bashing starts as on other threads.

PP-- try this link for your answers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar_National_Day

By Miss Mimi• 19 Dec 2011 08:44
Miss Mimi

Isn't it wonderful how "over the top" the locals celebrations are. I love the spirit. I wish Canadians would celebrate Canada Day like this.

The only thing I wish is that they weren't allowed to put those pictures on their front windscreens, that has to be a driving hazard!

By s_isale• 19 Dec 2011 08:32
s_isale

go to ndqatar.com and you will get the details....

By Knorkasthur• 19 Dec 2011 01:38
Knorkasthur

was a very exciting National Day :)

By flor1212• 18 Dec 2011 23:27
flor1212

I said kind of post. I have witnessed it five times already and I would say, your experienced today is the same in my five years stay here!

By anonymous• 18 Dec 2011 23:25
anonymous

I had a lots of joyful moments on today !!!!

By nomerci• 18 Dec 2011 23:22
nomerci

Flor, it's not kind...it's how I feel about it...it was so much fun! Haven't seen so many smiles and so much happiness in a long time!

By flor1212• 18 Dec 2011 23:21
flor1212

very encouraging! Good day!

By seasons• 18 Dec 2011 23:20
seasons

Really nice :)

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