With just two, maybe three, days to go before its Eid, the biggest festival of the Muslims, is it any wonder the whole of Doha is out making preparations for the big day. After a month of fasting and austerity, Eid brings in a sense of joy and fulfillment and many residents travel back to their home countries to be with their families. Those who remain here try to recreate atleast part of the home atmosphere by cooking the traditional food items and festive rituals. As for Qataris, they make it a point to spend at least the first few days of Eid here, if at all they are planning to travel out of the country to spend the rest of the holidays elsewhere. With expenses increasing many people — both Qataris and expatriates —resort to short-term bank loans ahead of Eid Al Fitr. Figures suggest that the number of needy families that Qatar Charity supports during the festivities has jumped more than 10 percent this year as compared to 2010. The needy families are from the Qatari as well as expatriate communities. “We provided succor to some 350 needy families during Eid Al Fitr last year. The number has climbed up to 400 this year,” a senior Qatar Charity official told The Peninsula yesterday. The beneficiary families are being handed coupons worth QR1,000 to QR3,000 to buy essentials during this festive season, said Khalid Fakhroo, head of public relations at Qatar Charity. According to Abdullah Al Khater, a prominent Qatari economic analyst, the number of limited-income people and families who have sought short-term bank loans to meet rising expenses during Eid has gone up this year. Another problem this Eid, which is the first one falling after Arab Spring, is that not many Arab expatriates, especially those from affected countries like Syria, Libya and Yemen, are able to travel home to celebrate the festivities with their near and dear ones. “But Egyptians and other Arabs are traveling to their home countries without any fear,” said Abdus Salam Al Basyuni, from FANAR (Islamic Cultural Center). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/162820-joys-of-eid.html

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