Saudi Gazette - Snow in Tabuk, KSA |
This will be my second time spending Christmas away from
home, I spent one in Germany some years back and it snowed and was good fun, it
was a change from the normal Christmas chaos that goes on back home.
This is my third Christmas as an Emigrant now, though my
first not being home in Ireland to see the boys open Santa’s gifts on Christmas
morning, however, I will be home just after Christmas and before New Year’s
Eve.
Christmas here in Saudi, well, just isn’t really Christmas !, the word isn’t used
at all in this devoutly Islamic country, I’ve heard many references in recent
week s to “end of year holidays” or “December vacation”. Unlike UAE, for
example, even the commercial aspects of the season aren’t really apparent here,
so you can actually just get on with life and forget about it until you’re on
that flight home, which is pretty much my strategy this year !
The Muslim Holidays of Eid-Al-Fitr & Eid-Al-Adha are the
big family holidays here and those of you who are familiar with the Hijri
Calender will also know that the dates of these holidays move backwards every
year as the calendar is lunar and not solar as the gregorian one is. This is
the time of year, when you will see the street decorated and plenty of business
being done at the shopping malls and families preparing for large gatherings at
home, sound familiar ?
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
The Region is however not without some festive cheer, in the
last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of our Christmas Party in Dubai, eating
outdoors by the Marina in very un-Christmassy weather, also a wonderful
Breakfast at the Irish Embassy here in Riyadh, a smaller festive gathering of
some Irish ex-pats and a really nice trip to Abu Dhabi last weekend to catch up
with some old friends and also visit the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
I am of course however, really looking forward to seeing my
boys in Ireland in a few days, even if it’s after Christmas Day, to catch up on
what Santa brought, eat together, talk together and catch up, also a chance to
catch up with others close friends on the short visit home. It’s amazing how Ireland
has changed so much in the past few years and how so many are taking similar
trips home this time of year, and sadly others who either can’t go home for
Christmas or can’t get out of Ireland either to find work and improve their
lot.
As for snow, well as you can see from this photo taken in
the northern region near Tabuk, it does snow in Saudi Arabia !!!
Nollaig Shona Dhuit !