The fourth annual Senyar traditional fishing and pearl diving competition came to a nostalgic conclusion with the Al Qafal ceremony on Saturday evening at the Katara Beach.
Al Qafal is a traditional ceremony to welcome fishermen and pearl divers after a safe arrival from the sea. Families of the more than 800 participants welcomed them at the celebration which honoured the winners and all the competitors.
One of the mothers said she felt the same way their parents felt after a safe arrival of their loved ones from the sea and that the event was an opportunity to live an important moment in the past.
People in the crowd were very enthusiastic to receive the participants especially the children who were expressed happiness and interest in seeing the competitors garbed in traditional clothes.
“Although the days of the contest were short it was difficult for the participants’ families to wait for them during the difficult weather. I would like to thank Katara for the efforts to ensure the safety of participants,” said Umm Hamad.
Katara General Manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti lauded the success of the four-day competition and the enthusiasm and commitment of the participants. He also honoured Ahmad Al Hitmi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for his important role in the success of the event.
A total of QR2,820,000 was distributed to the winners in various categories of the competition.
The Laffan team received QR400,000 for winning first place in the pearl diving and oyster collection competition while the Al Nawaza team was awarded QR400,000 as top prize in the fishing competition.
In the pearl diving category the first place winner was Amro Al Hamad who received QR100,000 while the Mehbar Team won QR100,000 for catching the biggest fish which weighed 15kg.
The Al Zebarah Team received QR200,000 having won first place in the angling category which saw 15 more winners.
A total of 18,411kg of oysters were collected in the diving and oyster collection competition.
The participants gathered a total of 12,282kg of fish in the Al Hadaq category of the competition while 1,508kg of fish was collected in the Al Nafah category.
At the end of the ceremony, some of the fish were distributed to the public while others were given to charity organizations to be distributed for needy families.
The Peninsula
