SYRIA: Locals and visitors stock up on sweets ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday

Record ID: 278967

  • Title: SYRIA: Locals and visitors stock up on sweets ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday
  • Date: 16th November 2010
  • Summary: WRITING ON SHOP READING IN ARABIC "WELCOME EID" TAXI DRIVING THROUGH MIDAN MARKET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAHMOUD AL-SEIRAWAN, AN EMPLOYEE, SAYING: "The preparations are general like all other people. We celebrate the Eid and we prepare for it. May God give all people happiness and joy." VARIOUS OF MOHAMMED ABOU AL-ADAS, A TOURIST FROM JORDAN, BUYING SWEETS CLOSE OF SWEE
  • Embargoed: 1st December 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA5TFWRPMR8XTAVQC5TYA0IYWHN
  • Story Text: As Muslims prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha with the climax of Haj, shoppers in Damascus are flooding sweet merchants as they bid to stock up on traditional sweets ahead of the start of the festival on Tuesday (November 16).
    Syrian Mahmoud al-Seirawan said sweets are among the most common foods consumed during the Eid period.
    "The preparations are general like all other people. We celebrate the Eid and we prepare for it. May God give all people happiness and joy," he said.
    Among other preparations for Eid, Muslims buy new clothes and gifts for children. Eid al-Adha also sees a large number of livestock slaughtered.
    The syrup-soaked, nut-filled pastry sweets such as "baklawa" and "bourma" are a delicacy across the Middle East, but the Levant region is especially renowned for their production.
    Mohammed Abou al-Adas, a tourist from neighbouring Jordan, said he favours Syrian baklawa.
    "The sweets here are very delicious and available more than they are in Jordan. So we decided to come here to see what varieties are available here and take them back with us," he said.
    Midan, a two-kilometre long market in Damascus, is centuries old. The market is the traditional home of most Syrian sweets and thrives during the run up to Eid.
    Jamal Doghmosh, an owner of a sweets shop in the market, says extensive preparation is needed to prepare for the demand that comes with Eid.
    "Quantities and kinds differ and of course we started preparing a month ago. Now we open four or five days continuously. We are open day and night for the foreigners and tourists and whoever passes through this street can take all their needs," he said.
    The government has provided civil servants with a 50 percent bonus on their monthly salaries to mark Eid. The average monthly salary of a public sector employee is 200 U.S. dollars and many struggle to get by on the amount.
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