Time to celebrate, but Eid is hard on the pocketbook [Archives:2005/809/Community]
For the Yemen Times
Yemeni people are sticking to traditions and customs, despite economic woes, to meet Eid. Many know that al-Adha Eid this year 2005 is approaching with heavy burdens due to their lower income levels, and the prices of the merchandise, clothes, and other driving costs between the towns and the capital are rising highly.
Here's a couple of comments from average citizens.
Mr. Abdullah Sultan said that the first thing shocking the youth in this Eid is the prices rise of the necessities of his wedding especially the clothes, furniture, and the rental of the hall for celebrating.
The Yemeni families used to carry out their sons celebratins, and daughters in the religious Eids, as the marriage is part of the community ethics.
Despite the official instructions not to overspend in wedding parties, and the Yemeni families are directed to facilitate the marriage of the female and male youths, the wives dowries are still going higher.
One youth, Farhan Ali al-Shareef, says that his marriage to a young girl will cost him approx. YR 1.6 million, which has been paid to the family of wife, plus YR 400,000 for his marriage party held in a humble hall hired for YR 150,000.
He adds that the necessities of the marriage in the Eid will add more burden on the Yemeni family, besides the requirements. On top of all is the cost of the sheep or a goat to be slain.
Many of the Yemeni families sons who are working in the capital look to the holiday of Eid-al-Adhha as a joy and chance for them to go to their towns and villages for visiting their families and relatives which matter. That costs them more monies to spend on their travel and transportation charges, besides the presents they used to give to their families.
By the prices-rise of the consumable materials and clothes, the people of limited income will be affected by the same. So, the laborers in the free markets prefer to stay in the capital where most of them get satisfied by saying “Eid is the Eid of the Health-being well.”
On the other hand, the richer people go to the coastal towns for celebrating the Eid holiday, meanwhile, their sons attend vociferous wedding parties that the poor people look at it as overspending phenomena and dowry expensiveness.
Despite the aforegoing, still there is a common denominator shared by the rich and the poor people equally i.e. their visiting to their families, the kindness among them, and their assistance to the needy ones.
Meanwhile, their children are enjoying the Eid cheerfulness besides the financial grants that they receive for buying the necessities of the Eid such as electronic games and fireworks.
——
[archive-e:809-v:13-y:2005-d:2005-01-20-p:community]
