Qatar: Holidays, Events, and National Customs
Public holidays
There are a number of public holidays that do not have a fixed date, but are based on the time of Easter. Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the beginning of spring. Lent, which lasts 46 days, begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Pentecost is 50 days after Easter. The Corpus Christi festival is celebrated on the 2nd Thursday after Pentecost. All Saints’ Day is celebrated for Orthodox Christians on the 1st Sunday after Pentecost, but for Catholic Christians the date is fixed on November 1st. On October 31, Protestants celebrate Reformation Day. The Halloween festival also takes place on this day.
Date | Holiday |
February March | Eid al-Adha (Great Festival of Sacrifice for the pilgrimage to Mecca) |
March | Al-Hijri (Islamic New Year) |
May June | Maulid al-Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Mohammed) |
June 27 | Day of Accession to the Throne |
September 3 | Independence day |
October | Lailat al-Miraj (Ascension of the Prophet) |
December | Eid al-Fitr (festival for breaking the fast after Ramadam) |
Source: Countryaah – Qatar Holidays
Cultural events
The “Qatar Summer Wonder Festival” has been held annually since 2002. The celebration takes place between mid-July and mid-August with music, dances and sporting events as well as exhibitions and other cultural performances.
From the end of January to the beginning of February, the festival “Ayyam Wa Layali Winter Carnival” is celebrated with folklore, sports and music events.
Sporting events
The 15th Asian Games, the world’s second largest sporting event after the Olympic Games, will take place in Doha from December 1st to 15th. Horse races are held weekly between October and April
at the Al-Rayyan Racing Course in Al-Rayyan. In March, the “International Arab Horse Show”, the international show of Arab horses, is held there.
The most important camel race in the Gulf region, the “Emir’s Race Cup”, takes place annually at the end of the racing season, in April.
Since 1998 the famous “Qatar Masters” for tennis have been held in Qatar.
National customs
- Qatar is a Muslim country. One shouldn’t hurt people’s religious feelings.
- In Qatar, one greets each other by bringing the right hand to the heart. The left hand is considered unclean, so you should not greet with your left hand, give something to someone or bring food to your mouth with this hand.
- Traditional meals are used to eat with the fingers from a common platter.
- Before photographing people, you should get their permission. Military installations and ruler’s palaces as well as public buildings are not allowed to be photographed.
- Trading takes place in markets and in smaller shops. One should use this possibility.
- In banks, post offices and other public institutions there are so-called “Ladies Branch”. These are areas that are exclusively reserved for women. Men are strictly prohibited from entering such areas.
- Tenderness between men and women should not be exchanged in public.
- Substance abuse can be punishable by death in Qatar. Even the possession of small amounts is strictly punished.
- Falconry is very popular in Qatar. Almost every noble or wealthy family owns a hawk and a trainer for the bird.
Qatar: climate
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that QA stands for the nation of Qatar as a two-letter acronym.
Travel times
The ideas of what is meant by a particularly favorable travel climate depend on a number of factors. Pure cultural travelers certainly see the climate differently than people who want to spend a pure beach holiday, for example. The state of health or age can also play an important role.
For sun seekers
The following times of the year are particularly recommended for a stay in Qatar for people who like to enjoy a lot of sunshine and who do not experience any problems with higher temperatures: All year round.
Weather or climate table
The following table shows climate data for. It should be noted that the climatic conditions in different regions of the country can differ from each other and thus also from the values shown. In addition, the monthly temperature averages have little informative value with regard to the minimum or maximum temperatures. It is possible that at average temperatures of around 20 ° C maximum values of 30 °C or more occur. The table therefore only provides a general overview of the climatic conditions in Qatar.
Month | Average number of rainy days | Mean maximum temperatures in (°C) | Mean minimum temperatures in (°C) |
January | 01-02 | 35 | 25 |
February | 0 – 01 | 35 | 25 |
March | 0 – 01 | 35 | 25 |
April | 0 – 01 | 35 | 25 |
May | at 0 | 45 | 35 |
June | at 0 | 45 | 35 |
July | at 0 | 45 | 35 |
August | at 0 | 45 | 35 |
September | at 0 | 45 | 35 |
October | 0 – 01 | 35 | 25 |
November | 0 – 01 | 35 | 25 |
December | 01-02 | 35 | 25 |