United Arab Emirates Eid Al Etihad (National Day) — 2 December
United Arab Emirates celebrates its Eid Al Etihad (National Day) every year on 2 December, marking the events of 1971.
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Why 2 December?
The United Arab Emirates celebrates Eid Al Etihad — the Festival of the Union, the name officially adopted in 2024 for what was long known simply as National Day — on 2 December. It marks the day in 1971 when six emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) federated into a single nation as British treaties lapsed; Ras Al Khaimah joined on 10 February 1972. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the union's principal architect, became the country's first president and is remembered as the father of the nation. The flag — designed by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, then nineteen, through a national competition — uses the pan-Arab colours, which the UAE reads as red for sacrifice and energy, green for growth and prosperity, white for peace and purity, and black for dignity and strength. The celebration is among the region's most spectacular, with fireworks, aerobatics by the Al Fursan display team, illuminated skyscrapers, heritage villages and cars decked in the national colours.
Learn what every colour and symbol means on the United Arab Emirates flag page.
Quick facts
- Date
- 2 December (every year)
- Official name
- Eid Al Etihad (National Day)
- Commemorates
- 1971
- Public holiday
- Yes, in United Arab Emirates