Kuwait's National and Liberation Days

Kuwait's National and Liberation Days

Monday, February 20, 2023

February coincides with both Kuwait's National and Liberation Days. Kuwait, in February, is known for its moderate weather and beautiful nature. The Hala-February festival is an annual festival which is organized by Kuwait City (the capital of Kuwait). During the festival variety of activities, carnivals and special events are organized such as musical parties, poetry evenings, cultural seminars, and plastic arts.

Hala February Festival is celebrated on the 25th of February every year; Kuwait celebrates its National Day to mark Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah's ascension to the throne in 1950 as well as his death in 1965. The first celebration of this event was held in 1963. People in Kuwait celebrate this day by going to different places, watching fireworks, hanging out with friends and more. People decorate their houses with colorful lights, flags, and lit candle at dinner time. The historical places like Kuwait National Museum, Al Bahhar Entertainment Historical Village, Mirror House, and Kuwait Towers are decorated with lights. Flags are hoisted in buildings and displayed in public areas. The streets are alive to the early hours of the next morning each year. The shopping malls are filled with Kuwait flag-colored clothes to be used for the celebrations.

“The history of Kuwait”

The history of Kuwait’s National Day can be traced back to 1950 when Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah became the ruler of Kuwait. Born in 1895, Al-Sabah was the first son of Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. From the time he ascended the throne in 1950, Al-Sabah distinguished himself as a unique leader of Kuwait. Unlike past rulers, Al-Sabah was determined to end British rule in Kuwait, which was finally accomplished in 1961. After signing a treaty, Kuwait ceased to be a protectorate of the British. Because of this, he is regarded as the founder of ‘modern Kuwait’. Officially known as the ‘State of Kuwait’, Kuwait is a country located in Western Asia. It shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia, home to the world’s sixth-largest oil reserves, Kuwait is the fifth richest country in the world. Its currency, ‘Dinar’ (KD) is the most valued currency in the entire world. Children as well as adults all around Kuwait celebrate this beautiful day gathered with family and friends all filled with love and joy.

Normally, most countries celebrate their national day on the same date they gained independence. For Kuwait, it would mean that National Day is celebrated on June 19, marking the date of independence in 1961. However, the first National Day holiday took place on this date in 1962. The holiday was then moved to February due to the extreme heat in June, and since 1963, the National Day has been celebrated on February 25 to mark the date that sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah came to power in 1950.

Having said all that. It is a privilege staying in Kuwait as an expatriate, knowing its culture and society has always excited me . Its been 13 years now and many more to come hopefully . I enjoy the freedom that this country gives to follow the culture of my mother land. The comfortable life and the facilities this country provide makes life easy and sustainable.

This country teaches me to respect different nationalities and their culture. I love my life here, every day I take one step further to achieve my goals.

Bhama Sameer, VIII-A, New Indian School

By:

Bhama Sameer, VIII-A, New Indian School

Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the article are those of the authors and written by them; the author is solely responsible for the content in this article. IndiansinKuwait.com does not hold any responsibility for them.

| HOME |

Express your comments...

Submit your comments...

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are strictly personal and IndiansinKuwait.com does not hold any responsibility on them. We shall endeavour to upload/publish as many of the comments that are submitted as possible within a reasonable span of time, but we do not guarantee that all comments that are submitted will be uploaded/published. Messages that harass, abuse or threaten other members; have obscene, unlawful, defamatory, libellous, hateful, or otherwise objectionable content; or have spam, commercial or advertising content or links are liable to be removed by the editors. We also reserve the right to edit the comments that do get published. Please do not post any private information unless you want it to be available publicly.