DAMASCUS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- In the back of his small shop in the Syrian capital, Damascus, Hamza al-Sioufi measures out fat into a simmering pot.
Once, the sweets vendor would have used only pure animal ghee, the rich foundation of baklava, a common pastry dessert, and maamoul, a butter cookie filled with dates or nuts, both of which Damascus families once bought by the kilo for Eid al-Fitr. Now, he mixes in vegetable ghee. "So that poorer customers can still taste something similar," he says.
The adjustment may seem minor, but it tells a larger story.
In the crowded alleyways of Damascus's traditional markets, the signs of Eid al-Fitr are unmistakable: shop windows filled with sweets, clothing racks spilling onto sidewalks, and vendors calling out to passersby. Traffic has slowed to a near standstill, with cars inching forward through crowds that spill off the sidewalks and into the streets.
The congestion has been intensified by the arrival of people from other provinces, many of whom came to the capital after the government's downfall in 2024, giving the markets a restless, overflowing energy.
But beneath the bustle, many Syrians say the joy of the holiday feels diminished. Merchants in neighborhoods such as al-Midan and al-Qanawat report that while foot traffic remains steady, fewer people are actually buying.
"The Eid has changed a lot-the joy, the people, everything," said Mohammed Makka, a man in his 60s browsing a sweets shop in al-Midan. "In the past, Eid in old Damascus had a special feeling. Today everything is different."
After more than a decade of war, Syria is grappling with a severe economic crisis. According to the United Nations, around 16.5 million people-roughly 70 percent of the population-require humanitarian assistance in 2026, with high prices and limited access to basic services straining households across the country.
For many families, preparing for Eid has become a matter of compromise.
"I couldn't afford everything," Makka said. "So I buy only the basics."
Nasser Shuqairi, a man in his 50s walking through the market, echoed the sentiment. "People are under huge financial pressure," he said. "Wherever you go, you hear the same talk. The joy of Eid has become less because of the economic situation."
Like al-Sioufi, many shop owners have had to adapt to customers with shrinking budgets.
Bassem Daadoush, who owns a clothing shop in al-Qanawat, said rising costs have driven prices up while reducing customer spending.
"Before, we used to have 40 or 50 customers a day. Now it's half that, or even less," he said. "A father comes with four or five children and can only buy one piece for each. He can't afford a full set anymore."
The economic strain has been compounded by regional tensions, which have pushed up prices of key goods such as food and fuel. Despite signs of stabilization and the return of millions of displaced Syrians since the political transition in late 2024, the United Nations warns that the country remains in a fragile recovery phase.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Thursday that an estimated 1.55 million Syrians have returned since December 2024, while around 2 million internally displaced people have also returned to their places of origin or preferred destinations within Syria.
For many in Damascus, Eid this year is marked less by celebration and more by careful calculation.
"We don't feel the same happiness anymore," Shuqairi said. "People just want to get through these days."
And yet, the markets stay open. Families keep coming. The sweets, however modest, are still made. Al-Sioufi stirs his pot, watching the ghee blend, and thinks of the customers who will walk away with a box half the size they once bought, but who will still, for a moment, taste something like joy.
What remains of tradition is measured not in kilograms, but in the determination to preserve it, however thinly stretched, for one more year. ■
