Hello everyone,
As promised , I'm sharing pictures of this year's Kuwait National & Liberation day celebrations .
I would like to share very interesting fact about Kuwait National day. Normally most countries celebrate their national day on the same date they gained independence. In Kuwait, this would have meant National Day would be on 19th June, marking the date of independence in 1961. On 19 June 1961, Kuwait became independent with the end of the British protectorate and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became the Emir.
However, it was felt that the holiday should be moved due to the extreme heat in June, and so from 1963, the National Day was moved to 25th February, marking the date that the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah came to power in 1950.
Kuwait Liberation Day is celebrated on 26 February. This holiday marks the day when Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.
The month of February is celebrated as Hala Feb. There are concerts, cultural shows , exhibitions throughout the month. The most beautiful part is use of electric lights to beautify the country , most of the installations/decorations are using colors of the flag .
Every year, I visit two areas famous for its light art.
The Ahmadi lights (light art in Ahmadi) are decorations put up by Kuwait oldest and biggest oil company KOC. Ahmadi is a governorate south of Kuwait city , here are some pictures.
The celebrations of Hala Feb won't be complete if one doesn't visit Souq Mubarakiya. Souq is a arabic term for bazaars , most of them are covered with wooden roofs with carvings . If you ever want to see what life in Middle east was before oil was discovered, visit a souk. Souq Mubarakiya is one of my favourite places in Kuwait.Here are some pictures.
Most souks will have multiple entrances , with cobbled streets , selling everything from fruits to electronics.
This year as we were exploring the souk, we ended up in a part where we saw this monument.
February is my favourite month to explore Kuwait , you can see why...
I hope you like this picture tour of National & Liberation day celebrations in Kuwait.
As promised , I'm sharing pictures of this year's Kuwait National & Liberation day celebrations .
I would like to share very interesting fact about Kuwait National day. Normally most countries celebrate their national day on the same date they gained independence. In Kuwait, this would have meant National Day would be on 19th June, marking the date of independence in 1961. On 19 June 1961, Kuwait became independent with the end of the British protectorate and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became the Emir.
However, it was felt that the holiday should be moved due to the extreme heat in June, and so from 1963, the National Day was moved to 25th February, marking the date that the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah came to power in 1950.
Kuwait Liberation Day is celebrated on 26 February. This holiday marks the day when Kuwait was liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.
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| Liberation Tower as seen from Souk Mubarakiya |
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| Al-Sief Palace |
The Ahmadi lights (light art in Ahmadi) are decorations put up by Kuwait oldest and biggest oil company KOC. Ahmadi is a governorate south of Kuwait city , here are some pictures.
This year as we were exploring the souk, we ended up in a part where we saw this monument.
A little roaming around and after reading the
plaques we gathered that the square is called Safat Square. It is a historical commercial square where the
seafarers of Kuwait would gather and trade goods with businessmen coming from
Persia, India and other sea routes .Read more about it here .
I hope you like this picture tour of National & Liberation day celebrations in Kuwait.
Superb Bharti !
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting fact about the independent day and the souq pics make me feel like visiting Kuwait!
Thanks for sharing ��
I always like to read your posts in exploring different places. It gives me a feel that i am also walking around that place. The lighting is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting post, thank you for sharing your liberation day pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. How interesting.
ReplyDeleteA nice tour. It is always nice to see all the lights and Kuwait always looks better at night. :) Happy Women's Day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your photos with us! This was an interesting post and I learned a lot :)
ReplyDeleteOoo a great tour of an interesting holiday! I really like the fountain (or maybe I just love all fountains hah). I wonder if they have to deal with evaporation in the summer months with it? Love all the swirly lights too; they're so pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a great celebration, thanks for sharing all your beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteOh, such beautiful lights! Seems like February really is a wonderful moth for you.
ReplyDeleteThat was an interesting post. How sensible to have the celebrations in the more pleasant month.
ReplyDeleteLove all the light installations.
Looks like so much fun to explore with all the lights everywhere! Thanks for the tour :)
ReplyDelete