Here
you will find a most important informations about UAE's culture
CULTURE
Islam is the official religion and Arabic the official
language. The majority of the local population is Sunni. The communities
have their own schools and social and cultural institutions. English,
Urdu/Hindi and Farsi are also spoken. Traditionally, the people of Abu
Dhabi are courteous, kind and friendly and quite hospitable both in
social matters and in business. Foreigners. especially tourists and
visitors are treated with generosity. But they in turn are expected
to respect local customs, especially religious practice. and abide by
the law of the land. During Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, non--Muslim
foreigners are expected to refrain from eating. drinking and smoking
in public places during the hours of fasting. In Ramadan official working
hours are reduced. Shops compensate for the loss of business by staying
open longer. The two Eids arc also the period when many people go abroad
for holidays. It is, therefore, advisable to book flights in and out
of the UAE well in advance.
NATIONAL DRESS
Native menfolk of the Arabian peninsula have a distinct
form of dress. They wear an ankle-length shirt (dishdasha), usually
white (or colored or striped in winter), a white, or sometimes red-chequered,
headcloth (ghutra) and the twisted, black rope piece (agal), holding
the gutra in place. Men of distinction and the Sheikhs also wear on
top of their dishdasha a flowing cloak (abba or bisht) edged with gold
braid. It may he black or brown. UAE women are very particular about
their dress. They generally cover themselves from head to feet with
a black cloak called the ahaya'.
CAMEL RACING
Reflecting the traditions of the desert, the role of
the camel has been given much attention. Once it carried the people
across the sands, providing at the same time milk, meat and leather,
while its shoulder-blades were used as little 'blackboards' for children
studying. Now proper school equipment is available from other sources,
as is leather, but many local families still keep a few for meat and
for milk. To encourage them to do so, the government offers subsidies
to those who still keep this noble and historic beast of burden. The
camel will more easily be noticed by the visitor, however, during the
great camel races held in various locations throughout the country in
the winter months, when owners from the Emirates and the rest of Arabia
pit their fastest steeds one against the other. The major festivals
attract many hundreds of camels to compete for prizes that total several
million dollars. The top steeds can each fetch well over a million dollars.
Camel-racing has become one of the country's most popular spectator
sports.
BOAT RACING
Another tradition that has taken on new life in the years
since the UAE was established is that of boat racing, now given substantial
encouragement by the government in the form of handsome cash prizes.
Two kinds of boats are used. The first is powered by a single sail that
catches the wind to drive wooden boats of shallow draught fast across
the surface of the sea. A couple of dozen such sailing boats scudding
across the waves, their sails shining in the sun, is one of the most
romantic sights to be seen anywhere. The other boats are powered by
men, not the wind, great rowing boats of 20 meters or more in length,
rowed by up to a hundred oarsmen straining every muscle to reach the
finishing line. Boat races are held on special occasions throughout
the year, to commemorate events such as the annual National Day holiday,
and have proved a popular attraction for visitors, while, at the same
time, keeping alive the maritime traditions of the UAE's sturdy people.
FALCONRY
More of an individual sport is that of falconry, whose
origins among the Arabs date back many centuries, and are lost in the
mists of time. Flying Saker or peregrine falcons prized for their strength
or speed, the people of the Emirates practiced falconry in the past
not merely as a sport but as a way of providing a useful supplement
to their diet, or a tasty hare, or a well-fed bustard. Today, it is
purely a sport. and one which is popular from the highest to the lowest
in the land. Like other hinters, however, the people of the Emirates
are concerned with the need to) understand and protect the environment,
and the quarry which they hunt, lest it disappears.
FOLK MUSIC AND DANCE
Folk dances and music are integral to any celebration.
Most dances are male-oriented. Everybody present at a joyous occasion
is expected to join in. Dancers sway together in a line or a circle
or clapping to the accompaniment of tambourines of various sizes, with
rings or bells attached. Drums are an integral part of classical and
folk music. A popular dance for females has young girls in flowing black
tresses swing their heads in a hypnotic, undulating movement. Many popular
songs are sung on special occasion. Both music and words, usually of
a bedu dialect, are simply composed. The wedding provide the most popular
occasions for traditional dancing. Dance groups may begin performing
a week or more before the event. Most wedding music and dance is of
local origin but some brought by immigrants have also been absorbed
into the folklore. At functions attended by local dignitaries and state
guests a particular folksong - the Ayyalah - is performed. This is basically
developed from a war song whose purpose was to raise the morale of the
fighting men.
