Every year, citizens in both urban and rural areas of the country celebrate Eid al-Adha, a significant religious ceremony in Islamic communities. They actively participate in this festival by sacrificing an animal and adorning themselves with new clothes, often intricately embroidered. The acts of animal sacrifice and donning new garments have deep roots in the country’s cultural traditions. However, over the past two years, economic poverty, unemployment, and a challenging political climate have cast a somber cloud over the lives of struggling citizens. Consequently, many individuals, regardless of gender, observe Eid without the means to purchase new clothes or partake in animal sacrifices, dampening the overall festive spirit.
This year, residents in the western region of the country are voicing their inability to afford sacrificial animals due to scarcity and poverty. Additionally, clothing sellers, especially those offering traditional Herati garments, express concerns about declining sales and a lack of customers. These economic challenges have left people ill-prepared for religious ceremonies.
Faiz Mohammad is unable to have a sacrificial animal this year due to unemployment, poverty, and the inability to afford it. Having been sacrificing animals for years, he expresses his disappointment that despite his willingness to borrow money for the sacrifice, he was unable to find anyone who would lend him the funds.
In an interview with Hasht-e Subh Daily, Faiz Mohammad expresses his disappointment, saying, “Sacrificing an animal for 15 or 16 years becomes not only a religious practice but also a habit. However, this year I am saddened by the fact that I don’t have an animal to sacrifice. I wish there was an opportunity in the next two days [before Eid] for me to perform the sacrifice. I made efforts, but I couldn’t find one. I even considered borrowing from someone close to Eid to carry out the sacrifice. Unfortunately, when I approached my acquaintances and relatives, they lamented about their own poverty.”
He further comments, “The people’s economic situation is dire. High unemployment rates have affected us greatly. I used to work in a government department and was able to provide for my family’s needs. However, it has been two years since I lost my job. We have exhausted whatever resources we had. It is evident that our poverty has reached a point where we struggle to afford adequate food for our household.”
Poverty affects not only this resident of Herat province but also Baz Mohammad, a resident of Tulak district in Ghor province. Baz Mohammad shares his inability to purchase animals for sacrifice this year during Eid. Speaking to Hasht-e Subh Daily, he expresses, “We also had a strong desire to make a sacrifice, but unfortunately, we are unable to afford to buy a sheep. Just as my younger son left for Iran, I called him and informed him about the sacrifice. He suggested, ‘Father, borrow money from someone, and I will repay it later.’ However, despite asking neighbors for help, no one was willing to lend me money.”
He adds, “Year after year, people are experiencing increasing hunger. This year, the majority of our neighborhoods are unable to perform sacrifices. In previous years, among 20 households, if one or two didn’t have an animal for sacrifice, the rest did. However, this year, out of 20 households, 12 or 13 lack a sacrificial animal.”
The citizens of the country have been severely affected by increased poverty under the control of the Taliban. About two years ago, Herati traditional clothes enjoyed a thriving market, and citizens, particularly young people, would purchase them for special occasions such as Eid. However, traditional cloth sellers, this year are witnessing a decline in the market, as citizens, including the youth, are not buying clothes for Eid.
Mohammad Hussain, a shopkeeper in Qamar Market in Herat province, is discontented with his job despite being one of the designers of Herati Traditional clothes and a leading figure among computerized sellers. He laments the decline of the traditional cloth market, noting that even during the Eid festival, people have not visited his shop to purchase clothes.
In an interview with Hasht-e Subh Daily, he expressed, “Previously, we had more customers from the outskirts of the city compared to the city itself. While we still have some customers from within the city, their number is quite limited. During Eid, people used to come from the districts and purchase Herati traditional cloth, ranging from one to twenty or thirty customers. However, over the past three Eids, there has been a significant decrease in our customer base. The previous Eids were better, but this Eid, we didn’t have anyone coming to buy.”
He adds, “There is a saying that when villages suffer from hunger, cities certainly experience it. Currently, people are unable to make purchases, otherwise, we wouldn’t witness a lack of customers buying Herati traditional clothes during Eid.”
Economic hardships and unemployment have caused people to forgo wearing new clothes during the Eid days. According to this shopkeeper, the people’s economic situation is unfavorable, and when customers visit, they mention using the same set of clothes for two or three Eids due to a lack of alternatives. He notes that in previous years, he used to sell approximately 30 to 50 clothing sets daily before Eid, but now he struggles to sell even five sets per day.
Meanwhile, some residents in the province of Herat express their inability to buy new clothes for Eid due to unemployment and economic difficulties. Faisal, a young man from the city who used to purchase Herati traditional clothes for himself every year, now finds himself wearing his previous Eid clothes even during Eid al-Adha. Faisal shared with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “In previous years, when the working conditions were good, I could manage to have two sets of clothes tailored for both Eids. However, the current situation doesn’t allow for that anymore. I had clothes for Eid al-Fitr, and I will wear the same ones again for Eid al-Adha because I can’t afford new clothes. I need to allocate this money for an Eid treat instead, as the amount is not sufficient for clothes.”
It is worth noting that since the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan two years ago, the celebration of Eid occasions under their leadership has significantly declined, mainly due to a drastic rise in poverty. The citizens of the country, who used to make preparations for Eid a minimum of 10 to 15 days in advance each year, have not engaged in any preparations this year.
