Celebrating Kuwait's National & Liberation Day: A Place which I Call My Second Home

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

As we celebrate 63rd National Day and 33nd Liberation Anniversary of Kuwait. In this occasion, we commemorate the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah who became the ruler of Kuwait in 1950. Al-Sabah was an exceptional leader. Kuwait National day (يوم الكويت الوطني) is celebrated on 25th Feb every Year with vigor and enthusiasm, as it is considered the most remarkable day in the Arab World.

There is a whole history of Kuwait’s National day where Kuwait gained its independence from Britain on June 19, 1961, when late Emir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al Sabah, the 11th ruler of the kuwait, signed the Declaration of Independence with the British High Commissioner in the Arabian Gulf Sir George Middleton. But as years went by, the date of Kuwait National day changed from June 19, 1961 to February 25 which coincides with the anniversary of late Emir Abdullah Al-Salem Al Sabah’s ascension of the throne in 1950 and his death in 1965. The National Day commemorates the creation of Kuwait as a nation in 1961, while the Iraqi forces were unable to resist the coalition forces, and the ground war only lasted four days and the Iraqi tanks left Kuwait on February 26th 1991 and marked the Liberation Day of Kuwait.

As the cold breeze and winds mark winter season to come to a halt and Nuwair flowers blossom in Kuwait and are ready to celebrate Kuwait’s National and liberation days. So on this great occasion, the streets are filled with the colors of the national flag. Every mall decorate and celebrate these days by publishing many interesting offers like 50% sale. The National flag of Kuwait is the most important symbol of these celebrations. Each color denotes Kuwait's history; green represents the fertility of soil in Kuwait, white depicts peace and harmony in the country, red stands for the struggle of the army who gave their blood to gain independence for Kuwait and black symbolizes the power of defeating all enemies.

Our school permits us to wear a color dress from the colors of Kuwait's flag on the occasion of Hala February. KSS is a subject which helped me to get more information about Kuwait’s history and culture. The books of KSS explain about Kuwait before independence and the old Kuwait lifestyles. Qurain was the old name of Kuwait in the 18th and 19th centuries.

During these 2-3 holidays, people go out for dinner. Many bazaars, malls and shopping centers sell many varieties of items depicting the National flag in forms of clothes, banners, hats, masks, wigs, food items, face painting etc. These days, we have programs in our church which I enjoy a lot. Every year, we have a harvest festival during these holidays, where we could see many varieties of stalls such as game stalls, food stalls, stationery stalls and many more. It was an unforgettable memory in my life. But for the last four years because of the pandemic we couldn't celebrate the Harvest Festival in our church. This year I am expecting to celebrate this festival and enjoy the holidays.

I always don't want to stay in Kuwait because my grandparents and my cousins are not here, so I wanted to go to India but as the years went by, I understood that even though I can't go to India but Kuwait is always my second home where I could play, study and enjoy. Kuwait, no matter what, always attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world because of the beautiful weather and historical sites. Kuwait has numerous attractive places to visit and I have visited many of them. Kuwait Tower, Bayan Palace, Bayan Botanical Garden, Salmiya (Al Fozan), Kuwait City, Avenues Mall, Marina Mall, Lulu Hypermarket, Neem market, 360 Mall, City Centre, City star, etc. are the examples of the beautiful places to visit in Kuwait.

The cultures and traditions of Kuwait are quite fascinating, because Kuwait has given rise to a colorful and extensive culture, which is mainly reflected in the Diwaniya (الديوانية) and Al Sadu (السدو) weaving.

Kuwaitis have the tradition of saying, Marhaba/Salam (مرحبا / سلام), Assallam alaikum (السلام عليكم), Ana zayn, shukran (آنا زين، شكراً) and Ma'assalama (المسلمة). Al Diwaniya (الديوانية) is the heart of all these traditions and cultures, Diwaniya a collective assembly, where men gather around in tents and deserted areas, greet each other by kissing on cheeks, eating and drinking, and discussing different topics.

Despite Kuwait (الكويت) being a small country located in the Middle East, Kuwait is one of the richest countries in the world. Kuwait dinar is the highest-valued unit of currency in the world. According to the World Bank, Kuwait is the 5th richest country in the world by GDP per capita. $164.71 billion dollars because Kuwait controls approximately 7 percent of the world's oil reserves. Kuwait also has a development plan Kuwait Vision 2035 and as a part of this , Kuwait aims to position itself as a global hub for the petrochemical industry. . Kuwait is a founding member of GCC and is also a member of the UN, AL, OPEC and the OIC.

Kuwait is a place which I can call my second home, a place full of memories of joy, happiness, sadness, victory, love and peace. Kuwait has worked very hard on the roads of progress and prosperity which are based on friendship, peace, and mutual cooperation. Kuwait is investing thousands of crores on infrastructures and equipment to develop the country and the people who live in Kuwait.

Thank you Kuwait for giving us all a happy and joyful life in Kuwait!!!!!