Fading Lights and Patient Souls: Fading Lights and Patient Souls: Celebrating Holidays of Hope in Syria

“Holidays here have really changed!”, I found myself uttering these words months ago when I passed by the areas and streets that used to be “breathtaking” during the Christmas season. But that time, I only found the same lights that I saw the previous year, a worn-out tree devoid of decorations with a metal star on top, dark streets, and pale faces. I then realized that the situation has only gotten worse compared to the previous years, and that any signs of joy were starting to fade from this exhausted country.
I also remembered past Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha celebrations when the situation wasn’t any better than it is now. Even those holidays were muted; the Eid takbeers were cold, brief, and lacked the cheerful screams of children. These holidays lacked the rituals we used to get excited for and held dear to our hearts.

“Holidays, without a doubt, no longer have the same joy”, everyone agrees on this sentiment. These days used to be a source of happiness for people, who would start preparing and planning for them well in advance, starting from traditional dishes special to each region and the different holiday-specific desserts, prepared either individually or with a group, to shopping for new clothes, gifts, candy and chocolate. Streets and houses used to be decorated with care, and each holiday morning began with the happy shouts of siblings fighting and telephones ringing constantly with congratulations. People would then visit places of worship to perform the religious rituals of these blessed days. Dressed in their finest clothes, they would greet each other with kindness, while children screamed happily with their new toys and clothes, running to parks, where boredom or weariness had no place. Families, relatives, friends and neighbors would all gather, visiting each other and laughing together, exchanging symbolic and monetary gifts, creating unforgettable memories.

That’s how things were; nowadays, things are very different. Undoubtedly, the war has left nothing untouched, including the way people celebrate their holidays. The vast majority of people have lost relatives, homes and businesses. The economic situation is also making matters worse, with the insane rise in prices in all aspects of life preventing people from celebrating in the usual way. Home decorations and huge feasts are avoided today due to their costs, and so is recreational travel. Many are also refraining from buying new clothes because of their expense. House visits are also limited now and lack the details we were used to, due to power outages, the embarrassments related to hospitality, transportation challenges and security risks in most areas. Finally, the forced displacement of a large section of society has emptied a seat on every table that gathers family or friends, bringing a sense of loss to these gatherings, and spurring conversations about memories of the past, with the hope that the next holiday will be better, or at least not as bad as this one.

Despite these difficulties, the Syrian spirit remains defiant, finding ways to celebrate traditions and holidays within the imposed reality. Technology is used to help ease the weight of immigration and separation as much as possible, serving as spiritual support by bringing family and friends together virtually.

Over decades, Syrians have learned to endure and to find beauty amidst destruction. Today in their holidays, they hold on to hope, hanging on to every beautiful memory and to every boundless dream, reminding the world that the spirit of holidays can spread the message of love, unity and peace, even in the harshest of circumstances.