So… Qatar’s national day is December 18th. it celebrates the day that the Emir fought off the otoman empire and the brits. it was established only a few years back, and they have been stepping up the celebrations in the past few years. Doha is a city that seems to be struggling like a teenager, trying to find itslef. Not being able to go back packing through europe, it is kinda left to it’s own devices.
This past national day had doha decorated tot he hilt. 80 story buildings were transformed into projection screens with animation and movies projected onto them. they had water screens spaced about every kilometer along the corniche also acting as movie screens showing diferent scenes from around doha. They had the national anthem playing form a sound system that ran the length of the 7 kilometer stretch.
We got to the corniche at about 8, in preparations for a 9 pm start. we found a good spot and set up camp. the boys had their little video players and I spent the time chatting with Liezel and her girls(mainly about school girl shoes…)
9 came and went. then 9:30. at 10, we decided that we’d pack it in if things haddn’t gotten started by 10:30. at 10:10, the event began, and what an event it was. there was 20 minutes of sky fillign fireworks that were all diferent colours, adn diferent shapes. they had small ones that threw long trails of sparks and blossomed into flowers synchronized with the massive ones that shoot hundreds of feet into the sky. Thomas liked the fact that these fireworks made clouds that were cool shapes, and daniel liked the big ones that when they boomed, it rumbled your stomach. there were points that the whole presentation area was filled with sparks. they had fireworks that blew up showing hearts, circles and other shapes.
it was incredible.
For the finale, they just let everyting else go… it was crazy. form the 5 (I think) fireworks platforms, there was a 10 minute barrage of explosions in the sky… anyone in our party over the age of 7 was speechless… thomas was amazed with those clouds. Daniel thought each one was beter than the last.
It was quite the evening. we didn’t get home till 12:20, and the boys had passed out in the car, but it was an amazing evening.
Well done Doha.
