On the eve of National Day, festivity and patriotic fervour filled all corners of Katara with a blend of traditional and modern spectacles which took the breath away of thousands of visitors at the Cultural Village yesterday.
Kicking off the evening’s events was the traditional Al Qaffal ceremony which welcomed the arrival of Fath Al Kheir after its month-long journey which took it to Kuwaiti and Omani shores spreading the message of love and brotherhood.
Al Qaffal is a traditional ceremony done in the past to welcome fishermen and pearl divers on their safe return from expeditions out into the open seas which were often fraught with danger.
The traditional Qatari dhow, whose mainsail carried the image of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, reached Katara at 4pm. The 16 Qatari sailors disembarked on Katara beach to a warm reception with maritime songs, National Qatari Ardah performance, and flowers.
The team headed by the dhow’s captain Mohammed Yousef Al Sada was received by a large crowd led by Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassem Al-Thani, and Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani along with Qatari elders and the families of the sailors.
The sailors pray after arriving from the month-long Fath Al Kheir journey.
Sixty paratroopers from the Joint Special Forces painted Katara’s skies with maroon and white while another team of skydivers wowed the audience with their spectacular formation as they descended on the Katara Esplanade flying Qatari flags.
As the sun set, thousands of people were captivated with the first-of-its-kind ‘Drones Show’, which is one of Katara’s main offerings during the eight-day National Day celebration. The high tech show saw 300 drones beaming with lights form a variety of shapes and patterns including Qatar’s map, flag, and other National Day related emblems and messages to the people’s delight.
Katara Amphitheatre was also filled to the brim with people watching shows celebrating National Day including the flags show performed by the renowned Italian group, Faenza Ravenna who will perform until tomorrow.
The Joint Special Forces paratroopers will also give another thrilling presentation this afternoon between 3.30pm to 5pm at the waterfront.
Katara visitors also enjoyed other events folkloric performances, exhibitions and workshops presented at the various pavilions at the venue, while sampling popular traditional Qatari cuisine available at various food kiosks spread on Katara Beach.
Katara’s National Day festivities conclude tomorrow with a stunning fireworks display expected to attract yet more crowds to the cultural hub.
