Damascus- The Syrians are welcoming Eid al-Adha in regime-controlled areas this year amidst the most difficult and harshest living and humanitarian reality since the outbreak of war 13 years ago. Food prices rose by 87% compared to last year, according to the latest World Food Program report.
According to Maha Abdel Rahman, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, the inflation rate rose by 122% from the beginning of the year until last April.
The numbers reveal the extent of the Syrians’ suffering with the advent of Eid al-Adha, in light of the weak purchasing power of their salaries, which average no more than 250,000 liras ($15).
Majed (42 years old), an energy engineer who works in the private sector and is displaced from Deir ez-Zor to the Damascus countryside, says that the holidays in Syria have become like a scarecrow. “We think about them coming and going as quickly as possible with the least possible number of losses and debts, and from the sorrows of children and their many comparisons between what What they got this Eid was among what their well-to-do peers got.”
He added in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, “I have not made a sacrifice since Adha in 2010, and it is a pain in my heart. In our customs, we the people of Deir ez-Zor, the sacrifice is considered an important religious and moral ritual. Not to mention the sacrifice, I am unable to even afford new clothes for my three children.”
Meanwhile, last Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued Legislative Decree No. (17) of 2024 stipulating the disbursement of a financial grant in a lump sum of 300,000 liras (about 20 dollars) to all workers and retirees in the public sector, days before the blessed Eid al-Adha.
The prices of sacrifices doubled
The sacrifices of sheep and calves in its markets in Damascus and its countryside are witnessing an unprecedented rise with the advent of Eid al-Adha, as the price of a kilogram of live sheep (sacrificial lamb) ranges between 80 and 90 thousand liras ($5 and 6).
The head of the Craftsmen’s Association of Butchers, Yahya Al-Khan, said in a statement to the newspaper “Athar Press”, which is close to the regime, that the prices of sacrifices rose by nearly double compared to their prices last year, so the price of a sheep sacrifice ranged between 5.5 and 6 million liras ($370 and 400), compared to 3 million liras ( $200) last year.
Al-Khan pointed out that a small group of citizens can offer sacrifices this year, which is the group that benefits from foreign remittances sent from children and relatives.
Tawfiq (26 years old), a Syrian accountant residing in the Netherlands, told Al Jazeera Net, “Although the cost of the sacrifice in Syria is considered high, even for an expatriate, the sacrifice is one of the Sunnahs of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in addition to the presence of poor families who are unable to buy meat. Accordingly, I appointed my brother residing in the Damascus countryside to sacrifice on my behalf, and to distribute the sacrifice to the needy there.”
On the other hand, many Syrians are reluctant to offer sacrifices this year due to their high prices and their incompatibility with their monthly incomes. Some resort to buying quantities of meat (most of which do not exceed a few kilograms) and distributing them as charity to the poor and needy.
High prices and remittances
During its tour of the capital, Damascus, Al Jazeera Net observed that the prices of sacrifices, meat, fruits, Eid hospitality, clothing, and other goods related to the blessed Eid al-Adha had increased significantly compared to last year.
For example, the price of a kilo of lamb meat reached 300,000 liras ($20), while its price during Eid al-Adha last year did not exceed 120,000 liras. As for the price of a kilo of veal, it reached 200,000 liras ($13.5), compared to 85,000 liras last year.
Meanwhile, various types of summer fruits witnessed an increase in prices, as the price of a medium-sized watermelon (10 kilograms) reached 50 thousand liras (3 dollars), while the price of a kilo of bananas reached 27 thousand liras (about 2 dollars), and a kilo of peaches and red cherries reached 27 thousand liras (about 2 dollars). 15 thousand liras ($1).
In a statement to the semi-official newspaper “Al-Watan” last Sunday, Aslan Pasha, a member of the Consumer Protection Association in Damascus and its countryside, estimated that the prices of fruits in the markets had increased by 170% compared to last year.
While sweets maintained their high prices with the advent of Eid Al-Adha, the cheapest item (Ajwa maamoul) recorded 60,000 liras ($4), while the most expensive exceeded 600,000 liras ($40).
The prices of women’s and men’s suits increased by between 50 and 100% compared to last year, and the cost of a suit for a child between 5 and 10 years old is about 500,000 liras ($33).
Rehab (51 years old), a public sector employee in the Damascus countryside, told Al Jazeera Net, “This Eid I was not able to buy most of our needs. My salary and the grant together are equal to 600 thousand liras ($40), while we need a minimum of 2.5 million liras ( $166) to meet all Eid necessities, including hospitality, new clothes, allowances, and the children’s needs.”
Regarding the impact of the grant, Rehab adds that it is “a consolation for a loser in a competition and not a grant, because it is barely equal to the price of the ingredients for a lunch for 3 people on Eid, or the price of half a kilo of baklava.”
On the other hand, a segment of Syrians in Damascus and its countryside rely on external remittances from their children and relatives to celebrate the Eid in its original form, in light of the high prices of most food and consumer items and their lack of proportion to their incomes.
A local website indicated, in a report yesterday, Saturday, that foreign transfers to regime-controlled areas increased by 35% during Eid al-Adha compared to the last Eid al-Fitr, due to the rise in commodity prices in the markets.
Division over grant
Social networking sites witnessed a division over the value of the grant disbursed to retirees and employees in the public sector, between sarcastic and thankful.
Samir Al-Nasser wrote in a post on his Facebook account, “300,000 Syrian pounds as a donation for the ordeal of Eid, chickens and a kilo of meat, and so on, pure, and every Eid and you are safe, God willing.”
Fatima Salman wrote, “Congratulations on the donation and honor, 300 thousand liras for sandals, walnut socks, and a comb.”
While Ghassan Al-Nashwani commented on the news of the grant in a post on Facebook, saying, “Thank you, but it is better to control inflation and price chaos (..) The more inflation increases and prices rise, the more the dollar’s influence on the market increases and the closer we get to floating, God forbid.”
About 90% of Syrians have been living below the poverty line since 2021, while about 12.9 million suffer from food insecurity, according to UN reports.
