RELIGION-EID/JORDAN PREPS Jordanians hit the shops ahead of Eid

Record ID: 146450

  • Title: RELIGION-EID/JORDAN PREPS Jordanians hit the shops ahead of Eid
  • Date: 16th July 2015
  • Summary: PEOPLE SHOPPING SAMER SHAMMOUT, AN OWNER OF A GARMENT STORE, DEALING WITH HIS CLIENTS
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jordan
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAUHOOT2MRGYN6OT2YK6M5RS6I
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: After a month of fasting, it will soon be time to celebrate for many Muslims observing the month of Ramadan.
    Shoppers in the Jordanian capital thronged the markets, with people on a variety of budgets hoping to bag a bargain in time for Eid al-Fitr.
    The tradition of wearing new clothes for the religious holiday is something that is done by Muslims around the world.
    But not everyone is able to afford new garments. A Jordanian charity has set up a clothes bank where people can come and collect new clothes.
    "The clothes bank is one of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation projects that aims at providing clothes for underprivileged families during the year and it is a set up that is free of charge for the beneficiary. Each beneficiary and every member of the family receives a voucher that has the number of pieces that the beneficiary is going to get. Every member of the family has four pieces,'' said Lina al Daoud, who manages the Charity Clothes Bank, CCB.
    CCB was set up in 2013 and has helped hundreds of thousands of people in the kingdom. One of those benefiting from the clothes here is Huda Arafat.
    ''I have five (children) and I cannot buy for them and I do not have an amount of money to buy and spend on them to be honest. We registered and they phoned us and told us about the clothes bank and I have been getting from them twice and the service is really good,'' she said.
    Since the beginning of this year's Ramadan, 15,000 people have received 75,000 pieces from the showroom of the CCB, according to Daoud.
    In Amman's Jabal Al Hussein area, shoppers filled the streets, with many keen to make the most of their budgets.
    "Merchants announce high prices whenever you go in a store but it depends on your smartness and you should try to ask him for half of the price he states because whatever he will tell you, the price will be really high so you want to reduce as much as you can,'' said Louai Moayyad.
    The days before Eid are usually busy times for businesses.
    But shop owners said business is far from brisk, with people tightening their purse strings. New clothes are seen as a luxury for many struggling to make ends meet.
    "This year is really bad and economically it is zero as there is no demand compared to the last year. The financial situation is really difficult and people have no money and clothes has become not a basic commodity for people, who focus on food and drinks only,'' said shop owner Samer Shammout.
    Shammout said that the conflict in neighbouring Syria has affected their supply, pushing up the price of goods and forcing traders to look to other markets to source their products.
    Eid al-Fitr is due to fall on Friday (July 17) or Saturday (July 19) depending on the sighting of the new moon.
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