The China Mail - Syrians rejoice during first Eid after Assad's fall

USD -
AED 3.673001
AFN 71.50406
ALL 86.94964
AMD 389.940296
ANG 1.80229
AOA 916.00021
ARS 1172.7511
AUD 1.561225
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.698616
BAM 1.720875
BBD 2.018575
BDT 121.46782
BGN 1.72338
BHD 0.376912
BIF 2935
BMD 1
BND 1.306209
BOB 6.908081
BRL 5.671204
BSD 0.99974
BTN 84.489457
BWP 13.685938
BYN 3.271726
BYR 19600
BZD 2.008192
CAD 1.3786
CDF 2872.999967
CHF 0.822865
CLF 0.0248
CLP 951.690421
CNY 7.27135
CNH 7.26542
COP 4223.29
CRC 504.973625
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 97.624998
CZK 21.9808
DJF 177.719852
DKK 6.575675
DOP 58.850323
DZD 132.612997
EGP 50.846598
ERN 15
ETB 131.849812
EUR 0.880905
FJD 2.25895
FKP 0.7464
GBP 0.749265
GEL 2.744982
GGP 0.7464
GHS 15.309909
GIP 0.7464
GMD 71.500601
GNF 8654.999771
GTQ 7.69911
GYD 209.794148
HKD 7.75585
HNL 25.825007
HRK 6.637019
HTG 130.612101
HUF 356.489962
IDR 16564.4
ILS 3.63992
IMP 0.7464
INR 84.5992
IQD 1310
IRR 42112.496859
ISK 128.339814
JEP 0.7464
JMD 158.264519
JOD 0.709196
JPY 142.872043
KES 129.501391
KGS 87.449715
KHR 4002.000304
KMF 432.249851
KPW 899.962286
KRW 1424.290057
KWD 0.30642
KYD 0.833176
KZT 513.046807
LAK 21619.999773
LBP 89550.000398
LKR 299.271004
LRD 199.525041
LSL 18.560173
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.454984
MAD 9.26225
MDL 17.160656
MGA 4509.999875
MKD 54.204422
MMK 2099.391763
MNT 3573.279231
MOP 7.987805
MRU 39.72498
MUR 45.160341
MVR 15.401824
MWK 1735.999843
MXN 19.59097
MYR 4.314954
MZN 64.010275
NAD 18.559722
NGN 1603.030203
NIO 36.720523
NOK 10.38636
NPR 135.187646
NZD 1.68366
OMR 0.384998
PAB 0.99974
PEN 3.6665
PGK 4.030503
PHP 55.740239
PKR 281.04979
PLN 3.773355
PYG 8007.144837
QAR 3.641498
RON 4.385399
RSD 103.234999
RUB 81.997454
RWF 1417
SAR 3.751245
SBD 8.361298
SCR 14.226144
SDG 600.499696
SEK 9.654705
SGD 1.305215
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.749682
SLL 20969.483762
SOS 571.502876
SRD 36.847004
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.747487
SYP 13001.4097
SZL 18.559624
THB 33.37894
TJS 10.537222
TMT 3.51
TND 2.973987
TOP 2.342097
TRY 38.477745
TTD 6.771697
TWD 32.034497
TZS 2690.00027
UAH 41.472624
UGX 3662.201104
UYU 42.065716
UZS 12944.999902
VES 86.54811
VND 26005
VUV 120.409409
WST 2.768399
XAF 577.175439
XAG 0.030611
XAU 0.000303
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.71673
XOF 574.999528
XPF 105.249831
YER 245.049877
ZAR 18.57225
ZMK 9001.206691
ZMW 27.817984
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    -0.4500

    63

    -0.71%

  • CMSC

    -0.2300

    22.01

    -1.04%

  • RYCEF

    -0.2500

    10

    -2.5%

  • RIO

    -1.4800

    59.4

    -2.49%

  • RELX

    0.8400

    54.63

    +1.54%

  • GSK

    0.8800

    39.85

    +2.21%

  • CMSD

    -0.0500

    22.3

    -0.22%

  • NGG

    -0.0400

    73

    -0.05%

  • BTI

    0.6900

    43.55

    +1.58%

  • SCS

    -0.0900

    9.92

    -0.91%

  • BCC

    -1.2200

    93.28

    -1.31%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    12.91

    -0.15%

  • VOD

    0.1800

    9.76

    +1.84%

  • BP

    -0.6100

    27.46

    -2.22%

  • BCE

    0.3300

    22.25

    +1.48%

  • AZN

    0.0800

    71.79

    +0.11%

Syrians rejoice during first Eid after Assad's fall
Syrians rejoice during first Eid after Assad's fall / Photo: © AFP

Syrians rejoice during first Eid after Assad's fall

Eid al-Fitr in Syria was charged with newfound joy this year, as thousands freely celebrated the holiday for the first time after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Text size:

From the early morning hours, crowds of men, women and children flocked to pray at Damascus's historic Umayyad Mosque in the Old City.

"This is the first time we truly feel the joy of Eid, after getting rid of Assad's tyrannical regime," Fatima Othman told AFP.

Following prayer, worshippers exchanged Eid greetings while street vendors sold colourful balloons and toys to children posing for photos with their parents.

"Our celebration is doubled after Assad's fall," said Ghassan Youssef, a resident of the capital.

A few kilometres (miles) away, on the slopes of Mount Qasyun overlooking Damascus -- a site previously off-limits to Syrians until Assad was deposed on December 8 -- a few thousand people gathered at Unknown Soldier Square for an open-air prayer.

Among them were members of the security forces and the army, dressed in uniform and armed. The road leading to the square was packed, according to an AFP photographer.

Some worshippers distributed sweets to celebrate, while the three-star Syrian flag, adopted by the new authorities, waved in the air.

Under the previous government, access to the Unknown Soldier monument was typically restricted to Assad and his close associates, who would lay wreaths there during national ceremonies.

- 'Celebration of celebrations!' -

The memorial, where a giant screen broadcast the Eid prayer, is near the presidential palace.

There, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa prayed alongside Syria's new mufti Osama al-Rifai and several cabinet ministers in the presence of a large crowd.

He later delivered a speech emphasising the country faced "a long and arduous road to reconstruction but possesses all the resources needed to recover".

This came two days after the formation of a new government, which faces daunting challenges in a country devastated by 14 years of civil war.

Wael Hamamiya, who had been in Sweden since the early days of the conflict, returned to Damascus to celebrate Eid with his family.

"This is my first Eid here in nearly 15 years. I truly feel the celebration in its full meaning," he told AFP, beaming.

"Everyone who has come is over the moon. This is the celebration of celebrations!"

The occasion was more sombre for some Syrians, who were able to visit the graves of loved ones that had been off-limits during Assad reign, especially in former opposition strongholds.

At Al-Rawda Cafe in Damascus, 36-year-old Amer Hallaq chatted with friends after returning from exile in Berlin where he ended up after dodging compulsory military service in 2014.

"For years, I thought I'd never see my family again or celebrate Eid with them," Hallaq said.

"The joy of liberation and victory is immense, but there's still a lot of work ahead. This is only the beginning of the road."

E.Choi--ThChM