National Day

Trip Start May 23, 1982

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of Oman Muscat, Oman
Tuesday, November 18, 1986

National Day is a big thing in Oman, a celebration of Sultan Qaboos's birthday and the country itself. A reporter for the BBC described the Sultan with the notion "It is as if the sultan is father to his people, revered yet intimate, formal yet accessible". The formal celebrations organised by Sultan Qaboos are moved to a different location around the country each year and the Sultan personally travels around the area chosen for about a month prior to the big day, checking on projects and meeting people to hear any concerns they may have. This process of meeting people and consulting them for their needs and worries is a tradition of old Arab desert cultures, but Oman has amplified it to the state that it is now in.

What you would certainly see around National Day in most towns and cities all over the country would be images of the Sultan and the national flag of Oman. An interesting side note is that Sultan Qaboos graduated from Britain's military academy; Sandhurst. He is loved by his people and the level of celebration involved with National Day is almost proof in itself of their devotion to him

Camel racing 1

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Where we lived there were Camel Races during the day and hundreds of Omanis gathered for the event. Many of the "jockey's" were young boys who whipped their camel's into a break-neck speed along the track. From my perspective at a child's altitude, I was terrified of these huge beasts that towered above me. It didn't help that my parents had warned me of their aggrivated nature and their tendency to spit, something I was constantly alert for when in their presence. I was happy to observe the racing among all the locals shouting and waving their arms about, but my parents dragged me over to meet some of the intimidatin beasts that were resting between races. One stared into my eyes with an arrogant and aloof nod towards the sky and I wanted to turn and run as fast as I could. However a friendly Omani man who was enjoying the celebrations assured us that his camels were perfectly fine and I managed to last through the terrifying ordeal.

At night the whole city lit up with the mounds of decorations that were draped over ever surface that was accessable, and even some that were not. Along the roads there would be animated lights attached to the lamp posts, usually of flower pots (no idea why) and images of the Sultan himself. We used to drive around and look at the amazing displays throughout the city until it was time to go to the beach and watch an impressive fireworks display to finish off the night.

I would highly recommend visiting Oman around National Day, it really is something spectacular.