Saint Patrick’s Day (another name is Feast of Saint Patrick) is celebrated on March 17, the death date of the saint. This day is dedicated to St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
Of course, Saint Patrick’s Day is not an official holiday in the UAE. But as this country welcomes all important holidays from around the world, this celebration of everything Irish is widely known and popular among its residents.
And even you are not Irish, you are still more than welcome to enjoy Saint Patrick’s day with your friends and family. All that is needed is a good mood, great company and (optionally) some green accessories to put on.
Interesting facts about Saint Patrick’s Day
Originally, St. Patrick’s Day was Ireland’s holiday only. And during its celebration, there were no special events. Over time, this day gained wide popularity thanks to the Irish people who emigrated to the United States. Yearning for the homeland they began to celebrate it in a big way. On 17 March 1762, the first parade took place.
Initially, the color of Saint Patrick’s Day was blue, not green. On old drawings, Saint Patrick is dressed in blue clothes. But with time the color changed to emerald green, widely known today.
Thanks to this holiday, many people think the clover is a symbol of Ireland. But the real symbol of the country is a golden harp.
Today many people around the world celebrate this holiday with alcohol, especially with beer. But initially this day was exclusively religious and alcohol was prohibited. Today, this holiday has become also a cultural event, not only religious.
International Women’s Day or simply Women's Day is the holiday celebrated on March 8 in many countries around the world. In some countries, this day is official holiday and day off work, in others — just a good reason to congratulate women, as it is in the UAE.
Saint Valentine's Day is not an official holiday in the UAE, but residents of the country sure do like to celebrate it with great pleasure. Just the same as people around the world do.
UAE is a country with extremely diverse population. Dozens of different cultures live together in big cosmopolitan cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and each culture bring its own set of traditions and holidays to celebrate.
Some holidays are big and country-wide, like Diwali and Eid al-Adha; others are smaller, but no less important in specific communities, like 8th of March and Saint Patrick's Day.
In this list, we have gathered together a list of Holidays celebrated in UAE by various cultures and communities.
