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Here
you will find the 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.
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