> Kuwait

Alcohol and pork are prohibited. Don't wear halter top or miniskirt or clothes of similar nature. During Ramadan, smoking, drinking and eating are banned in public places. Offenders are detained until the end of the month.

Festivals

Kuwait is a traditional Muslim country. Islam is the state religion. Many followers belong to Sunni Islam.

Statutory festivals include January 1 (New Year's Day ), February 25 (National Day), and February 26 (Liberation Day). Religious festivals are based on the Islamic calendar (also known as the Hijri calendar), including Mawlid, Isra Al Mi'Raj, Islamic New Year, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam. Amadan is a time of spiritual reflection, improvement and increased devotion and worship. The predominant practice in Ramadan is fasting from sunrise to sunset.

 

Dress

The traditional attire for men is the dishdasha, an ankle-length garment woven from wool or cotton. This attire is particularly well-suited for Kuwait's hot and dry climate. The traditional male headdress involves the ghutrah headscarf and the agal circlet, often with a gahfiah skullcap underneath to help keep the headscarf in place. The ghutrah is a square scarf made from cotton; it may be worn differently according to the situation, but most commonly it is folded into a triangle and placed centrally on the head so that the ends hang down equally over the shoulders. The agal is a double circlet of black cord, worn on the ghutrah to hold it in place.

Women sometimes wear the aba, a black cloak covering most parts of the body, over a dress; the traditional floor-length daraa' or the more festive thobe. A hejab headscarf is worn with this, with some adding a bushiya face veil or instead wearing the face-veil portion of the burqa.

 

* The above information is for reference only. For more, contact the embassy.

* For more information on visa, head to the Star Alliance website.