Trump honored with 'ceremony of hair' as head-swaying dancers welcome him to UAE in dazzling spectacle

ABU DHABI, UAE: Donald Trump received a grand welcome in Abu Dhabi as a group of hair-flipping dancers greeted him on his arrival.

The US president arrived at Qasr Al Watan, the United Arab Emirates’ presidential palace, on May 15, as reported by the Daily Beast.

Dozens of female dancers with long dark hair and full length white gowns presented the Al-Ayyala, a traditional performing art of the UAE, while Trump along with the UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walked through.

Trump loved Abu Dhabi, says 'what a beautiful city'

The performance also saw several men banging drums and chanting simultaneously with the dancers. Trump even said, “What a beautiful city! I love it!” after seeing the performance, as per The New York Post.

As per the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), “Al-Ayyala is a popular and expressive cultural performance practised in north-western Oman and throughout the United Arab Emirates.”

“Al-Ayyala involves chanted poetry, drum music and dance, and simulates a battle scene. Two rows of about twenty men face each other, carrying thin bamboo sticks to signify spears or swords. In the United Arab Emirates, girls wearing traditional dresses stand at the front, tossing their long hair from side to side,” it explains.

Netizens say Trump received the ‘ceremony of hair’

A snippet of the welcome was shared on X by White House aide Margo Martin. She captioned it: “The welcome ceremony in UAE continues!”

The video attracted a lot of attention online, mainly because of the performance, with one user even explaining, “To those unfamiliar with our culture and who expressed surprise at young girls performing traditional Emirati dances (like al-Na’ashat): This is not a new trend, nor is it a performance borrowed from modern influences. It’s a deeply rooted part of our heritage — a tradition proudly passed from generation to generation. Below is a historical video of young Emirati girls performing the same dance in front of the late Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE 🇦🇪 — decades ago. Our traditions don’t age. They live.”

A person wrote, “Trump having a blast 😂.”

Another person said, “Amazing to see America respected throughout the world. All it took was a new President. Hopefully the left will begin to see this.”

“All these girls have pretty long hair. Such beautiful ceremonies and processions,” the third one commented.

A tweet read, “Trump received the ‘ceremony of hair’, you can't beat that.”

Another tweet was “He loved it. I could see ‘what a beautiful…’ reply. This is such a beautiful sign of respect. My gosh. What a journey. He is so respected in the Middle East!!!”

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