Today is the birthday of Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. He is 73. But it is the day Oman calls National Day, celebrating the Sultan's years in power. 43 for this year. The whole city is festooned with Omani flags and lights. It looks like a combination of the 4th of July and Christmas! I was not sure I had enough pictures to do a blog post. Most of the interesting things I see are while driving. I have culled photos from a couple of other sources, to give you a taste of National Day.
These first two pictures come from my friend, Mary, who works for Occidental Oil. All public buildings have a portrait or picture of the sultan.
I took this picture at the City Center Seeb Mall in Muscat on Saturday.
Here is a balloon flag at Toys R Us, in the same mall.
Most of the medians have flagpoles with Omani flags.
A little harder to see, but there are flags and light along Sultan Qaboos highway. Check out the beautiful mosque in the distance. (I didn't take these pictures, Savannah did. I don't want you to worry.)
Same lights at night.
Then, today, I had to go to pick Savannah up from school for an orthodontist appointment. I had thirty minutes to kill, and was just going to sit and read. Imagine my delight when I found out that there was a National Day celebration going on in school for the parents!! Not sure how I missed knowing that.
This whole atrium area was set up like traditional Omani tents. We had Omani sweets to eat.
I forget the name, but this was tasty. You scoop some up in a spoon and then you use your fingers to eat bits of it. It had the consistency of softer jello.
There was a henna artist available.
She uses what looks like a cake icing tube.
The completed design. You wait until the henna dries, and brush it off. Underneath is an orange design. It takes a little time to darken.
I was so excited for this next set of pictures!! I rarely get the chance to take pictures of the beautiful people of Oman. I got some great ones today. These two cousins were adorable.
Little Sister
Even the principal and teachers got in the National Day spirit.
This was outside the orthodontist's office. There are quite a few cars decorated for the day!
And finally, click on the link below for a few great photos from the newspaper.
Although today is National Day, it is a work day. The official holiday will be celebrated on November 27 and 28, so most Omanis will have the day off for Thanksgiving!
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