Monday July 4, 2016
Kabul (BNA) Everywhere in Afghanistan, people are preparing to celebrate the first largest religious and traditional Eid-ul-Fetr festival, as the holy Ramadan is due to end.
Few days before Eid-ul-Fetr, people clean their houses and go to market for shopping of different types of new clothes and purchasing cakes and candies and other favorite edible stuffs to welcome the great feast and host their visitors after offering prayer the three Eid days. Generally Muslims around the world, have to two great religious and traditional festivals, Eid-ul-Fetr and Eid-ul-Adha. In Afghanistan, households usually go shopping for their brides, still in their own houses. Some spend much money to buy new materials for their brides and some spend for welcoming guests; their relatives, friends or neighbors or co-workers at offices, while some people have no enough money to spend even for their children’s new outfits during the public great festivals. However rejecting high expenditures during the two Eids, a Kabul citizen, Shahnaz told that this has become part of their traditions and many families have to purchase different types of outfits and edible items for the house of their in-laws to have their brides happy, before marriage.
She hoped all the households consider economic problems of their relatives and not force them to spend money beyond their economic tolerance, and remember that it is unlawful in the holy Islamic religion.
Shahnaz who said wanted to take some new outfits and edible items to the house of their in-laws for her brother’s bride, denounced what she said a cruelty and injustice of some families before their in-laws. “They are forcing them to bring many things, a pricy outfit beyond their economic competence. Another Kabul citizen, Benafsha who said has engaged her son to a girl of their neighbor’s believed she had not spent as much as she couldn’t, as her in-laws didn’t force them to spend much for the holy Eid’s tradition, because of being unlawful and out of their economic capability.
One of the most vicious believes, which some people resort to, is refraining from marriage between the two Eids; this has no place in Islam and even against the holy Islamic teachings. During the 21st and 27th of the holy month of Ramadan, this was believed that marriage could follow a good omen, and we wanted to do so, because of receiving blesses of Lailatul Qadr (the Night of Power), said Fareshta who was also seen preparing for the Eid celebrity. People resort to painting their houses, cleaning homes and some going to the market for shopping of different needed materials for their houses to duly welcome the three Eid. This depends to the economic condition of the households; some clean and wash their old house materials, while some purchase new ones, at the threshold of the Eid.
But, all ordinary Kabul citizens complained about the hike of prices. They said they can’t buy their needed items to celebrate Eids. “The prices went skyrocketing, with more than 50 percent increase compared to the last year,” said Abdullah who was seen going shopping for the upcoming Eid as the holy Ramadan ends by the next few days. He said the government did nothing in reducing the prices; each kilo of pea is sold in 300 Afghanis, each kilo of green raisin in 450 Afghani, each kilo of pistachio 1600 Afghani, each kilo of almond in 1800 Afghani and so on, other needed dried fruits are sold with high prices in the market. The hike of prices are said to have been reasoned of the dried fruits export to foreign countries. Another Kabul citizen, Ahmad Jawid, delighted about what he said spending the holy months with blessings from the Allah Almighty, but said the prices go higher compared to each passing year. He asked the government to pay attention to the people’s economic conditions and the organs concerned to their best for improvement of the citizens economic situation, particularly during the holy Ramadan and Eid days.
Karima Malikzada
