MANAMA, 17 February — The start of the Eid Al-Fitr holidays for government employees at the weekend saw thousands of Saudi pouring into Manama, where they will spend the vacation with their families.
The traffic jam at the King Fahd Causeway was such that it took almost two hours for this correspondent to get past the customs and immigration formalities at the Saudi and Bahraini checkpoints. It normally takes only a few minutes.
There was another reason for the sudden rush on Thursday — the declaration of the Gulf emirate as the Kingdom of Bahrain, with Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa Al-Khalifa proclaiming himself King.
Hundreds of Saudis sporting the King’s portrait and the red Bahraini flag joined the cavalcade as it made its way across Exhibition Avenue in Godeya, south of Manama.
There were fireworks and music galore, with Saudi and Bahraini nationals soaking up the festive spirit of the occasion. Even a number of women joined in the festivities, driving vehicles bearing Saudi license plates — not an unusual sight in the now Bahraini Kingdom, where women are allowed to drive.
The men meanwhile danced and swayed to the sound of music, while motorists honked in tandem. Motorcyclists revved their engines. At least two Bahrainis on thoroughbreds move through the traffic, without a hitch.
Feb. 14, the day when the Kingdom of Bahrain was born, coincided with Valentine’s Day. Supermarkets in Manama reported massive sales of Valentine cards and heart symbols, which could also be seen painted on children’s faces. The coincidence of colors (of the national flag and the Valentine cards) was not lost on the people.
Raucous declarations of love, however, ended up becoming a ruckus, as this correspondent found out when watching the revelry past midnight. Tempers frayed and the revelers exchanged blows in the middle of a traffic jam.
At least one Saudi vehicle was damaged when it tried to speed past the cavalcade moving at snail’s pace. However, the Saudi driver showed presence of mind when he gunned the engine and kicked up dust and sulfurous fumes by the screeching tires. The milling crowd around his vehicle dispersed but not before its stoplights and windshield had been shattered.
