A national occasion to celebrate the history of the UAE…

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has just declared July 18 as Union Pledge Day.

Sheikh Mohamed took to social media platform X (previously Twitter) with the announcement.

The post stated, ‘On this day in 1971, the founding father and his fellow rulers signed the Document of Union and the Constitution of the Emirates, and announced the name of our state the United Arab Emirates in preparation for union on December 2.’

The UAE president added, ‘It was a historic day in which they established the era and foundations of the Union.’

He ended the post by declaring that henceforth, July 18 will be a national occasion called “Union Pledge Day” where the country will celebrate its history and the blessed steps to establish the Union.

In 2024, the UAE is celebrating 53 years since its formation in 1971. The UAE is made up of seven emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.

Before the unification of the seven, each emirate was an independent princely state. The unification took place in 1971, with the departure of the British, and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) was formed.

Anantara Eastern Mangroves_UAE National Day copy

On UAE National Day, apart from the UAE decked up in colours of the UAE flag (red, green, white and black), there will be several activities taking place to help mark the big day.

The public and private sectors are also given a public holiday to enjoy the celebrations. Commemoration Day (previously known as Martyrs’ Day), is marked annually on December 1. In 2024, this is a Sunday. However, after this, the UAE celebrates National Day which falls on December 2 and 3, which is a Monday and Tuesday – meaning it will be a long four-day break for those of us who normally have Saturday and Sunday off. We have to wait for the official announcement though, which will be announced only closer to the date.

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