Kuwait National and Liberation Day- February 25

Kuwait is celebrating its Independence Day and its national day on February 25.

Kuwait, the small country on the Arabian Peninsula, gained independence from Britain on June 19, 1961, but the reason it celebrates its national holiday on this date in February is that it is the coronation day of Kuwait ruler Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah in 1950.

Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, was the ruler of Kuwait from 1950 until his death in 1965. He worked hard to liberate Kuwait from British rule and gain its independence, until the Kuwaiti people decided to celebrate their national day on the day he ascended the throne.

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy state, with an elected parliament legislating laws and a prime minister appointed by the head of state, the emir, something reminiscent of a king.

On the national holiday of Kuwait, residents of the country gather together and celebrate with drinking, eating, singing, dancing and fireworks.

Facts about Kuwait:

The Gulf War broke out in the late 1990s after Saddam Hussein invaded and captured Kuwait.

Kuwait is the richest country among the Muslim countries, thanks to the abundant oil it has.

It is ranked 11th among the richest countries in the world.

The capital of Kuwait is Kuwait City, which is one of the largest financial centers in the Middle East.

Kuwait has a total of about 2,800,000 people. The area of the country is 17,818 square kilometers.

Most Kuwaiti citizens are Muslim; it is estimated that 60% –65% are Sunni and 35% –40% are Shias.

 

Kuwait City has 2 impressive water towers that stand on a cliff within the Persian Gulf. The main tower is 187 meters high and the second 142 meters high.

Hotel in Kuwait   

February 25 is also Clam Chowder Day

International Arabic Language Day- December 18

In 2013, the United Nations declared December 18 as the Arabic International Day, which was chosen because it was the date on which Arabic was accepted as one of the six official working languages ​​of the United Nations in 1973.

Arabic is one of the most spoken languages ​​in the world. More than 422 million people around the world live in the Arab world (Al-Watan al-Arabi) and in the surrounding areas and speak Arabic.

Arabic is one of the ancient Semitic languages. The Koran, the Muslim holy book, is written in Arabic and is considered the Islamic holy tongue. Online Arabic is among the 4 most common languages.

Arabic influenced other languages ​​in the Islamic world such as Turkish, Persian, Kurdish, Urdu, Malay, Indonesian and Albanian. European languages ​​such as Spanish, Portuguese, Maltese and Sicilian are also influential in the Arabic language.

December 18 is also Immigrants Day

Eid al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan, the month of Muslim fasting.

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar. This month muslims fast all day and this command is one of the five pillars of Islam.

The date when the Eid al-Fitr is is the first two days of the month of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Muslim calendar.

The exact date of the holiday is determined by evidence of the moon's innate vision, that is, when the moon is very small, which symbolizes the beginning of the month of Shawwal.

Holiday Customs

Eid al-Fitr is a holiday of forgiveness, peace, community and brotherhood. Therefore, during the holiday, Muslims often visit their friends and relatives, and this is an opportunity to resolve quarrels and disputes.

In Eid al-Fitr it is customary to get up early in the morning, wear festive clothes (preferably new), pray special prayers in honor of the holiday and celebrate with family meals and fireworks. It is customary to give gifts to women and children. It is obligatory for every Muslim who has the minimum enough to live to give a special charity in his name and in the name of his family members (زكاة الفطر). The purpose of charity is to cleanse the person from mistakes he made during the fast such as nonsense he said (لغو) or profanity (رفث), and to help the poor and needy to celebrate the holiday. Zakat al-Fitr is usually a food such as rice, flour or money. This can be given to the poor from the sunset of the last day of the month of Ramadan until the holiday prayer.

Another tradition of the holiday is the belief that by this time the writing of the Quran was over.

The blessing for the holiday of Eid al-Fitr is in Arabic: عيد الفطر سعيد, pronounced: Eid al-Fitr Said, or Eid al-Fitr blessed, in Arabic: عيد الفطر المبارك, pronounced: Eid al-Peter Mubarak.

When is Eid al-Fitr in the next coming years?

2021- May 12 - May 13

2022- May 2 - May 3 (estimated)