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Traditional sailing and rowing competitions, as well as various cultural activities in the Katara – the Cultural Village beach area, were among the highlights of the second day of the Fourth Traditional Dhow Festival yesterday.
Members of the Omani team sang and danced in jubilation after winning the first four awards of the rowing competition, defeating two teams from the UAE and one each from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The teams in the first four places received cash prizes of QR100,000, QR70,000, QR50,000 and QR30,000, respectively. The rest of the teams received QR10,000 each.
At least 40 contestants on board eight boats joined the competition, which attracted a large number of spectators. Dhow crews cheered and performed traditional songs and dances as the contestants paddled their way into the sea and back to the shore. Nine boats also joined the dhow sailing event while 14 persons qualified for the pearl diving competition.
In a press statement, Katara said some 600 students from different schools in the country and more than 40,000 people have visited the event so far.
“A nice atmosphere and a good display of boats,” said Dino Palazzi from Argentina, who was engrossed in taking photographs of the festival.
Since its launch four years ago, he stressed that the event was evolving and getting nicer and bigger, with hundreds of dhows participating each year.
Some 300 contestants are taking part in this year’s five-day festival, described as a “record-breaking participation from Qatar and other GCC countries”.
For Palazzi, the traditions and cultures of different Gulf states have remained the most interesting part of the festival. “The dress and the people with different knowledge of the same stuff, like pearling.”
Many visitors, both tourists and residents, had similar observations, citing the event’s uniqueness and the hosting of numerous exhibitions and workshops.
“It is the culture and the tradition that I think it’s getting lost in the highrise buildings,” said Tess from the UK. “It is nice to see tradition and where it all started.”
This was Tess’s second visit to Doha for a holiday but it was her first time to watch the festival. She was fascinated by the designs of the dhows and the “musical enchantment” on the shore performed by different Arab groups.
Some dhows offer food and drinks such as coffee and tea while cruising. “Everybody should come and see it. It is spectacular and really good,” said Tess, hoping to experience a cruise like Mercy Costenaro from Kenya and her Italian parents-in-law. Costenaro lauded Qataris for respecting and preserving their culture well.
Pearl diver Naji Salem al-Hammadi from Bahrain shared the same remark about the celebration, saying he likes to be in Doha every year. Al-Hammadi told Gulf Times that his boat had won twice but failed to make it last year. He said he would be lucky if he won again in this year’s contest.
However, he is planning to sell his dhow for QR200,000 as he wants to design and build a new one. The Bahraini said he hoped to be back next year for the next edition of the Traditional Dhow Festival at Katara.
