JEDDAH, 26 October 2006 — With a cacophonous concatenation of explosions redolent of the crack of doom, the annual Eid firework display burst into the night sky over the Jeddah Corniche last night. Revelers thronged the walkways and roads, while motorists, brought to a halt on the Corniche road by the crush of people and traffic, abandoned their cars or climbed on the roofs to get a better view of the 12- minute display.
The excitement of the fireworks brought out the best in the surging crowds. Complete strangers nodded to families with a clutch of small children and whisked them up to shoulder height for a better view. Crowds of young men milled around excitedly, laughing and backslapping while the police, on site to control the completely stationary traffic, stood indulgently by and watched the display along with everyone else. Saudis and expatriates mingled in the flickering light of the display, eyes upward simply enjoying the fun.
Ian Miller, a teacher at an international school in Jeddah, was delighted with the event. “There is something special about fireworks,” he said. “For me, they bring back memories of childhood and the fun associated with crisp November nights. This is such a contrast; steamy tropical night in Saudi Arabia, but the sense of fun is there.” It was rare, he thought, to see Saudi families as a community and at leisure. “There is a remarkable unity and sense of community tonight,” he said.
For Menna Harries, a teacher new to the Kingdom, the obvious sense of fun and enthusiasm that gripped the crowd was as important as the display. “I have only been here a couple of months,” she said, “and although I find many things difficult to adjust to, perhaps the hardest is the difference between what I was expecting of the people and what I find.”
Harries explained that all her perceptions of Saudis were based on news and media information before she came to the Kingdom. “It’s when you encounter this sort of sight, lots of people simply having fun at a firework display, that you get a sense of perspective,” she said. She wondered where else a crowd of thousands could gather at a loosely organized public event without the slightest hint of threat or disorder. “That’s a very special feeling,” she said.
The display over, the twisted string of cars, five abreast in the Corniche, uncoiled itself to a penetrating chorus of police sirens which went largely ignored. As peacefully as the crowd had gathered, it melted away along the side streets and byways leading off the Corniche.
Still excited by the spectacle, small children set off their own hand-held fireworks with undisguised glee and little thought to where the sparks flew. Rather than admonish or complain, the dense crowds simply parted, shaking their heads good-naturedly around them and headed for their cars.
