Watch Saudis perform Dahha folk dance as it snows in Tabuk

Saudis have welcomed the first snowfall of the year by performing a folk dance in videos that have been shared widely on social media.

The spectacle was recorded at the kingdom’s north-western city of Tabuk.

People have been flocking to Jebel Al Lawz since Saturday, when snow began to fall in many areas.

“Well, it finally happened,” one of the people said in a video as snow greeted the dancers.

“It’s real and I can prove it,” laughed another as he held a snowball.

The crowd was performing the Dahha, an ancient dance in the region. It used to be danced by warriors to celebrate victory.

It has some commonalities with Al Ardah, another folk dance native to Saudi Arabia, particularly the Najd region.

Snow has been falling on Jebel Al Lawz in the Tabuk region of Saudi Arabia. Photo: SPA
People have been visiting the area since Saturday, to see the snow. Photo: SPA
More snow is expected to fall on Jebel Al Lawz as well as the mountain areas of Al Dhahr and Alqan. Photo: SPA
Thunderstorms accompanied by showers and hail are expected in Makkah, Al Bahah, Riyadh, Al Qassim and other areas of the kingdom. Photo: SPA
People enjoy a moment in the snow in Tabuk. Photo: SPA
Vehicles line the road to Jebel Al Lawz as hundreds of people visit the area. Photo: SPA
The extreme weather led security forces to close the road leading to the area, reports said. Photo: SPA
Women play in the snow. Photo: @Sebusher via Twitter

In Dahha, men of a tribe dance in two rows standing opposite each other, waving swords. Saudi songs and poems often accompany the dance.

Both Al Ardah and Dahha are performed today at various celebrations such as weddings and at cultural festivals.

Jebel Al Lawz is a mountain in north-west Saudi Arabia, near the Jordanian border.

Snow has covered parts of the kingdom’s northern cities over the past few years. The last time Saudi Arabia experienced so much snow was in 2018, when locals and tourists enjoyed fun snow activities such as riding sleighs and snowball fights.

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The flights

The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings

The stay

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Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
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Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”

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Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en