Despite its location (the desert), and the country\u2019s religious status (Islamic) there is plenty of
\nfestive spirit to be found in the United Arab Emirates around the Christmas season\u2014even if the
\nChristmas tree you might find yourself rocking around is a majestic palm instead of a fragrant
\npine.
\nThe UAE is home to 9.2 million citizens, and of that number 7.8 million\u2014or around 85%\u2014are
\nexpats. The UAE is renowned for its tolerance of other religions and their celebrations, so
\nthere\u2019s plenty to help keep the season bright.
\nFor those seeking religious observances, there are several churches throughout the country that
\nhold traditional services in recognition of the day. In Abu Dhabi, most churches can be found in
\nthe Al Mushrif area and on the outskirts of the city in the special economic zone Musaffah. In
\nDubai, most churches can be found in Jebel Ali Village.
\nDubai is also home to many of the UAE\u2019s most prominent Christmas markets. The St. Regis
\nDubai Gardens turns into a winter wonderland every year offering entertainment, market stalls,
\nand appearances by Santa for the kids. Madinat Jumeirah also hosts a 1,750-square foot
\nGerman-style Festive Market that runs from December 15-27 with slides and games, and a
\ngiant snow ball zone.
\nThere is also a popular Winter Festival in Dubai every year in early December that celebrates all
\nthings about the season.
\nAnd for those looking for other traditions of home, many companies offer imported live
\nChristmas trees in addition to artificial trees, decorations, and imported culinary delicacies.
\nMany hotels and restaurants also offer special Christmas brunch menus.
\nAnother part of the holiday season that bears mentioning in the UAE is New Year\u2019s Eve. The
\nUAE takes NYE celebrations very seriously with the fireworks display in Dubai often considered
\none of the biggest and most expensive in the world. Millions of people gather to watch the show
\nwhich centers around Burj Khalifa, the world\u2019s tallest building. However, as popular as the
\nfireworks display is, there are rumours that this year\u2019s celebrations will take on a different
\nform\u2014a spectacular and cutting-edge light show. Only time will tell!
\nWhile Christmas Day isn\u2019t considered a national holiday in the UAE, you don\u2019t have to look very
\nhard to find plenty of ways to celebrate and enjoy the season with friends and family both new
\nand old.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite its location (the desert), and the country\u2019s religious status (Islamic) there is plenty of festive spirit to be found in the United Arab Emirates around the Christmas season\u2014even if the Christmas tree you might find yourself rocking around is a majestic palm instead of a fragrant pine. The UAE is home to 9.2 million […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122820,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[331],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.migrateworld.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}