Who this page is for
This page is for anyone who wraps gifts in the UAE and wants to know which ribbon suits which occasion: gift shops, florists, hotels, event planners, and company teams who send hampers to clients. Pick the occasion you are planning for, read the short answer below, and follow the link to the full guide.
The six guides split into two kinds. Some follow the calendar, such as National Day, Ramadan and Eid, and the late-year hamper run. Others follow the customer, such as weddings, corporate clients, and small gifts that arrive all year.
The year in words
Here is the gifting year as a ribbon buyer sees it. Only some dates are fixed, so where a festival moves, this page does not give a date. Check the guide and confirm the date for your year.
- Early in the year: Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. These follow the Islamic lunar calendar and move every year, and the exact day is confirmed only after the moon is sighted. The Ramadan and Eid ribbon guide gives the expected dates for 2027 and a month-by-month plan.
- Spring: Eid al-Adha, which also moves each year. It is covered in the same Ramadan and Eid guide, with the date to plan around.
- All year: weddings, engagements, corporate gifts, and baby, graduation and thank-you boxes. None of these waits for a festival, so the wedding, corporate and small-gift guides are about having the right ribbon ready.
- October or November: Diwali, which moves each year. The Diwali, Christmas and New Year guide explains how to check the date for your year.
- 2 December: UAE National Day, the one fixed date that comes early in the late-year run. The National Day ribbon guide covers colours and when to order.
- 25 December and the week after: Christmas, then New Year, which round off the year in the same hamper guide.
Where to start
If you are not sure which guide you need, match your situation to one of these.
- If you are dressing gifts in red, green, white and black for December, read the UAE National Day ribbon guide.
- If you are wrapping hampers or date boxes for Ramadan or Eid, read the Ramadan and Eid ribbon guide.
- If you are making favours for a wedding or engagement, read the wedding and engagement favour guide.
- If you are sending gifts to clients and want the brand to show without shouting, read the corporate gift ribbon guide.
- If you are making hampers for Diwali, Christmas and New Year in one season, read the Diwali, Christmas and New Year hamper guide.
- If you wrap small gifts for babies, graduates and thank-yous at short notice, read the baby, graduation and thank-you guide.
UAE National Day
The question here is how to use the flag's colours without the gift looking busy. The short answer: use the colours, not the flag itself, and keep to one or two at a time. The guide gives five ways to wear red, green, white and black, from a single band to a striped ribbon or a printed message, and explains how early to order for 2 December. Read the National Day guide.
Ramadan and Eid
The question is when to order, because the dates move every year and the season is one of the busiest in UAE gifting. The short answer: plan around the earlier expected date, work backwards from the day your first hampers must be wrapped, and choose colours and widths suited to hampers and date boxes. Read the Ramadan and Eid guide.
Weddings and engagements
The question is how to make favours look right on camera. The short answer: choose double-face satin or sheer organza in a colour matched to the wedding palette, in a narrow width of 6 to 16 mm, tied in a small, even bow. Test one finished favour first, because a photo can change a colour and a long row of bows shows every inconsistency. Read the wedding and engagement favour guide.
Corporate gifts
The question is how to carry a brand on a gift ribbon. The short answer: the ribbon is the first thing the client sees, so let it work quietly. One ribbon in your brand colour often does the whole job, and a logo, tag or label only needs to appear where it adds something. Read the corporate gift ribbon guide.
Diwali, Christmas and New Year
The question is how to serve several communities in one short season. The short answer: plan it as one season, with gold, ivory and deep red as a shared base, a festival colour where the recipient calls for it, and one ribbon order sized with the calculator. Read the Diwali, Christmas and New Year guide.
Baby, graduation and thank-you
The question is how to wrap well when a gift is needed tomorrow. The short answer: keep a few core colours on the shelf. Choose soft satin or sheer in quiet colours for babies, crisp grosgrain in school colours for graduates, and one house colour for thank-yous. Small boxes take narrow ribbon, 6 to 16 mm up to about 15 cm and 16 to 25 mm for about 15 to 30 cm. Read the baby, graduation and thank-you guide.
The six guides side by side
| Guide | The question it answers | Read it when |
|---|---|---|
| UAE National Day gifts | How do I use the flag's colours in ribbon? | You are dressing gifts for 2 December |
| Ramadan and Eid ribbon | Which colours and widths, and when do I order? | You are wrapping hampers or date boxes for Ramadan or either Eid |
| Wedding and engagement favours | What ribbon photographs well on a favour table? | You are making favours in large numbers for one event |
| Corporate gift ribbon | How do I carry a brand without shouting? | You are sending gifts to clients |
| Diwali, Christmas and New Year hampers | How do I plan three festivals as one season? | You gift to several communities in the last months of the year |
| Baby, graduation and thank-you boxes | What should I keep in stock for short notice? | Small gifts arrive all year with little warning |
Whatever the occasion, tie a real bow on a real box before you commit to a colour.
Questions buyers ask
Which UAE occasions have a fixed date?
UAE National Day falls on 2 December and Christmas on 25 December, with New Year following within the week. Ramadan, both Eids and Diwali move each year. The Ramadan and Eid guide gives the expected dates for 2027, and the hamper guide explains how to check Diwali for your year.
Can one ribbon colour work for several occasions?
Yes, for the late-year run. Gold, ivory and deep red make a shared base for Diwali, Christmas and New Year hampers, with a festival colour added only where the recipient calls for it. The Diwali, Christmas and New Year guide sets out how to plan this as one season.
Which ribbon suits wedding and engagement favours?
Double-face satin or sheer organza in a colour matched to the palette, in a narrow width of 6 to 16 mm, tied in a small, even bow. Test one finished favour before you commit. The wedding and engagement favour guide covers finish, colour, printed names and planning.
How do I put a brand on a corporate gift without a logo on everything?
Start with colour. One ribbon in the exact shade of your identity often does the whole job, and a logo, tag or label only needs to appear where it adds something. The corporate gift ribbon guide explains how to name and check the colour.
What should I keep on the shelf for gifts needed at short notice?
A few core colours: soft satin or sheer in quiet shades for babies, grosgrain in school colours for graduates, and one house colour for thank-yous. The baby, graduation and thank-you guide gives the widths that suit small boxes.
