Festival revives nation's famous deep-sea tradition

24 February 2008

Dubai: The waters of the Gulf have always been the source of the region's wealth. Just as today oil is pumped from below the waves, long ago it was oysters that sustained the local population.

Daring pearl divers, who travelled for months up and down the coast, picked the precious white pearls. Pearls were the main econ-omic force in the region, with the pearl drivers and traders gathering to buy and sell the precious commodity.

As the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) comes to a close on Monday, Watani, a national programme designed to preserve UAE traditions, brings the past alive at its National Treasures pavilion in the Dubai Creek Park, where the traditions of the pearl diving trade are being revived. Images of the past are brought to life by tens of enthusiastic volunteers.

Traditionally, a pearl diving dhow carried 10 to 60 divers, or seeb, who spent five months a year searching for pearls. Year after year in May, hundreds of men waved goodbye to their loved ones and headed out to sea with their captain, or nokhatha.

In the open water, the naham, or song leader, bolstered the men's spirits with traditional songs of the sea.

The men performed up to ten dives per day, holding their breath for over a minute and a half each time before being pulled to the surface by a rope tied around their waists or ankles.

The oysters they retrieved were placed in a basket at the end of the day so that no diver would know whether he had found the biggest pearl.

At the end of the diving season, the men returned to port where the nokhatha distributed the wealth amongst his crew.

With the reverberation of the naham's song in the distance, the return of the divers was met with hopeful anticipation and tears of joy of wives and mothers.

Throughout DSF, Watani has recreated traditional weddings, fashion shows featuring traditional wedding dresses and handmade clothing, and competitions dedicated to depicting the nation's historical characteristics and persons.

Also presented this year were the customs of the Emirati Al Shuhouh mountain wedding. Traditionally, the groom wore the national kandura and an ammunition belt.

Carrying a khanjar, a traditional Emirati knife, he would race to the bride's home as a demonstration of his masculinity, strength and ability to protect his family.

Majestic designs

A fashion show was held at Watani's National Treasures pavilion, featuring majestic wedding gowns and traditional dresses for certain specific Emirati crafts.

Women traditionally wore rich golden ornaments and abayas bearing all the colours of the rainbow.

The richness of the materials brings to mind the grace that must have flowed through the streets in the old UAE.