Girls holding Kuwaiti flags play at a square in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Feb. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Ghazy Qaffaf)

 

People holding Kuwaiti flags walks at a street in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Feb. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Ghazy Qaffaf)

 
Kuwaitis celebrate their national and liberation days on Feb. 25 and 26 every year. This year, Kuwait marks its 60th National Day and 30th Liberation Day amid the COVID-19 restrictions.

The Kuwaiti government has cancelled nationwide celebrations amid fears of the spread of coronavirus and to preserve the safety of residents. On this occasion, Kuwaitis expressed their love for homeland in some other ways.

Hussein Hajiya, an admission employee at the Kuwait Technical College (Ktech), told Xinhua that the national day remains a major celebration for every Kuwaiti, stressing that this year's celebration will be exceptional and different due to the spread of coronavirus.

"I used to celebrate the National Day by attending carnivals organized by ministries, non-profit organizations, and private and public institutions. I was excited to attend such events that included activities and military shows with the participation of the army units," he said.

"During my childhood, I used to participate in the competitions and festivals that accompany this carnival, as it used to start with a large presence of citizens with army musical band playing in the background, in addition to the air show that drew the colors of the Kuwaiti flag in the air," he said.

"Due to the coronavirus, the celebration will be cozy with the family. We will celebrate it inside homes," he said.

For her part, Afrah Sulaiman Al-Masai, an employee at the Public Authority for Minors Affairs of Kuwait, said that she used to celebrate with her family by wearing the national dress, decorating her garden with the flags of Kuwait and playing national songs.

Her family used to organize competitions among family members, and late at night they used to set off fireworks, she told Xinhua.

Her family will not celebrate national holidays this year for fear of the spread of the coronavirus among its members, despite their longing for the usual family gathering, she added.

Speaking to Xinhua, Amna Al-Kandari, a kindergarten teacher, said that the family used to celebrate it by wearing the traditional Kuwaiti dress, and then they would leave the house to participate in the street march.

Al-Kandari said her family would still gather to observe the days this year, wearing traditional clothes and a few decorations.

Shaima Al-Kandari, a secretary at the Ministry of Electricity and Water, agreed with Amna, assuring that most Kuwaiti homes used to prepare for the National Day with traditional decorations and dresses, and family would gather around a large dining table with delicious traditional Kuwaiti food and sweets.

"We used to go to the march with our children and give them the specially made Kuwaiti coloring books, unfortunately, there is no celebration this year," Al-Kandari said.

"We will organize home activities related to Kuwait national day," Al-Kandari said.

Badr Al-Otaibi, a Ktech student, said that he was accustomed to hearing stories of national celebrations from his grandmother and his mother, as they used to gather to prepare for the national celebrations.

Al-Otaibi told Xinhua that this year's celebrations will be limited to families.

Khadija Al-Rashidi, a college student, said that she would be satisfied with celebrating on the social media by posting about the national day, as the restrictions would prevent her from having the usual celebration with the family.