Oman National Day 2013

November 18 is Oman's National Day.  It is on the day of the Sultan's birthday and is generally a day when people celebrate His Majesty and his leadership, and just being Omani.  The official federal holidays (ie days off) were Nov. 27 and 28, dates that were announced only about 2 weeks prior. The short notice is standard procedure here for any holiday.
The 18th was marked with a military parade and review by the Sultan at an invitation only event. For about 2 weeks before and after there were green, white and red decorations (colors of the flag) all over the city.  And I mean all over.  Lights were strung between the lampposts on along the highways, any building with architectural lighting changed the bulbs to the tri-color pattern, posters with the sultan's picture went up in windows and on walls.  On the big day newspapers were full of ads wall to wall from companies and organizations celebrating His Majesty's reign (43 years so far) and each one had a picture of him. Most spectacular of all, I thought, were the decorations on private cars.  I don't know if they actually painted their cars or if these were expertly attached decals, nonetheless green, white and red were all over.  This is a sample of what I could see from my office - I did have to work after all!

People honked their car horns all day, they were generally exuberant.  At night I thought I heard fireworks, but could not see any.  Colleagues said they thought it was celebratory gunfire.

At the Opera House we celebrated with a staff party and colored light bulbs in the outdoor lighting.  Five of the women on staff took it upon themselves to organize an amazing display of Omani arts, culture, crafts and food in our lobby.  They decorated the grand staircase with strings of flags and ribbons.  There were displays of traditional pottery and utensils, musical instruments, clothes and weapons.  There were Omani musicians playing drums and ouds (like a lute) and dancing.  And then there was the feast.  The women had spent days cooking up an enormous buffet for all to share. Our staff photographer Khalid Al Mujaini supplied the following photos:

A traditional outfit for women.

This is business formal for men.

Yes, those are bagpipes on the right, very popular here.

The oud (like a lute) and qanun (like a zither) ensemble.

Traditional housewares

More festive attire.  The face mask is not seen often in
Muscat, slightly more common in rural areas. 

A beautiful cake decorated with an image of the Opera House.

I performed the
ceremonial first cut.

It's the best picture I have of the extent of the buffet, with hummus, various salads, meze, rice and grilled meats (lamb, beef, chicken) for days.  And, of course the ever popular mini-pizzas.

My colleague brought his young son to the party (posted here with his permission).  I think those tiny children in adult clothing are absolutely adorable.  And they walk a little taller knowing they are wearing official attire.

An Omani wedding

Not long ago I was privileged to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter. According to Omani tradition this meant I went to the women only portion. It was scheduled for 1pm, but nobody shows before 1:30 and by 2:15 another colleague and I were almost the last to arrive. Usually these events are held indoors at night, but per the bride's wishes her party was in the afternoon under a large tent on the beach at the Army officers club.
The "event" was basically a large reception and party. There were about 50 round tables under the tent and we claimed seats at a table in a back corner. The women were all decked out in abayas and dresses of all colors. The embroidery and beading on everyone was quite stunning. About half kept their hair covered, the other half did not, age was not a determining factor here.

Many women reportedly spent as much as 2 hours on their hair and makeup. Eyeshadow came in all colors in keeping with the bright dresses. There were a few short short dresses, but most were long and there were many spaghetti straps.

We all sat around chitchatting for a while. Various female family members made the rounds and friends stopped each other to say hi. Occasionally some would dance on the floor in the middle. At about 3pm the bride made her entrance accompanied by "Serenade for Strings". She wore a gorgeous white, Western style dress, lace arms, voluminous skirt, and a huge lace bridal veil. She made her way solo along the beach walk to enter the tent with the ocean as her backdrop. She paused now and then for photos. There were 6 or more official photographers, all women, who played paparazzi the whole time. Guests are usually discouraged from taking pictures, but a few pulled out camera phones for a quick snapshot. I followed their lead.

The bride finally made it across the tent to a loveseat bench on a dais where she sat for the next hour and a half having her picture taken with a succession of family, friends and well wishers. A self service table of pink and white candies opened. Ladies of all ages filled bags and bags with gummies, meringues, marshmallows, jelly beans and other assorted sweets. This is not a tradition, just a fun treat.

More dancing to pop music occupied the time until finally the banquet buffet started. Behind the tent accessible from both ends was a long serpentine of tables with a bounty of food. Hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, and other salad sides, then hot dishes with chicken tandoori, grilled fish, roast lamb, beef in cream sauce, rice and a traditional pounded wheat dish that seemed to be laced with cardamom and meat. Tasty, I thought, but not for everyday eating. There was also a dessert table with baklava, a spoonable date bread, what looked like cheesecake squares and another gooey creamy something. Female waitstaff brought around glasses of juice and soft drinks.
Finally close to 5pm several women started covering their hair again and some who had shed abayas to reveal their fancy dresses put them back on again. Many did not. Clearly MEN were about to arrive. Shortly the groom arrived, walking the same path the bride had, flanked by his brother and a few friends all in white dishdashas and turban-like headwraps, as well as 4 Aussie friends in Western suits. Trailing well back was the father of the bride and 2 of his sons. The groom paused for photos at the entrance, again with ocean backdrop. He also sported the traditional silver curved dagger, a khanjar, on a silver belt.

He slowly made his way to the dais and took his seat next to the bride. Then followed many more photos with family, friends and well wishers. The wedding was now official. Many guests took this as their cue to leave. We did too.
What we did not get to see was the ceremony at the mosque which is men only and had happened a few days before. Sometimes it happens even months before or on the day of. As part of this the officiant has to verify that the bride has agreed to the marriage. A neutral party at some point prior gets a signed document from the bride. When the groom finally shows up at the women only event to "claim" his bride the marriage is complete.