Syrians balk at buying "pricey" Eid al-Fitr sweets amid soaring prices

STORY: Syrians balk at buying "pricey" Eid al-Fitr sweets amid soaring prices DATELINE: April 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:28 LOCATION: Damascus CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the sweets shops in Damascus 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MISBAH KANDAH, Sweets maker 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): ALI IBRAHIM, Sweets maker STORYLINE: Due to the soaring prices of everything, much fewer customers seem to be willing to squeeze money to buy traditional sweets of the Eid al-Fitr feast. Previously, when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan would come to an end, the popular marketplaces such as in Midan, or Bab Srijeh among other ancient souks in Damascus, would be thronged by hundreds of people rushing to buy the sweets of Eid. This is an old tradition as Muslim celebrate the end of the fasting month with a lot of local sweets. During the crisis, the purchasing power of the people decreased but the tradition remained alive. This year, however, the economic situation has become excruciating as a result of the prolonged crisis

SYRIA-DAMASCUS-RAMADAN-SWEET

SYRIA-DAMASCUS-RAMADAN-SWEET

(220413) -- DAMASCUS, April 13, 2022 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian sweet shop owner prepares Naem cake, a kind of traditional Syrian food, during the holy month of Ramadan at the Bab Srijeh marketplace in Damascus, Syria, on April 13, 2022. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

SYRIA-DAMASCUS-RAMADAN-SWEET

SYRIA-DAMASCUS-RAMADAN-SWEET

(220413) -- DAMASCUS, April 13, 2022 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian sweet shop owner makes Naem cake, a kind of traditional Syrian food, during the holy month of Ramadan at the Bab Srijeh marketplace in Damascus, Syria, on April 13, 2022. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)