Just before Eid Al-Fitr , crowds of shoppers begin to flock to the markets of Nablus , in an atmosphere full of joy and happiness. Shops are crowded, and the streets are filled with street vendors and stalls.

The city’s markets witness a wide commercial movement until the dawn hours, so that people can buy clothes, sweets, coffee and nuts, as well as salted fish, which is considered the favorite meal on the morning of Eid.

However, this festive atmosphere has become mixed with the taste of sadness, and the people's joy of receiving the holiday has become incomplete after the martyrdom of a group of the governorate's youth by the bullets of the occupation army, who died since the beginning of this year.

Therefore, Um Jawad Al-Afouri, who owns and her husband a sweets shop in the city center, believes that the current season is not the same as it was in previous years, referring to the difficult conditions the city went through and the incursions of the occupation army and the erection of checkpoints to besiege it, which reflected on the economic situation.

She told Al-Quds.com: "The city witnessed very painful events, during which it lost many young people in the prime of their lives this year, so Nablus remains sad and there is no joy for Eid and joy is incomplete, and God has mercy on the martyrs."

And Al-Afouri continued: “With the approach of every Eid, we always specialize in preparing maamoul and cakes stuffed with dates, pistachios or walnuts, in addition to all kinds of sweets, such as baklava and kalaj. We also care that our sweets are accessible to everyone at reasonable prices, but the general atmosphere in the city is not Encouraging,” hoping that God will spread goodness and peace to everyone.

On Eid, the children's joy is complete by buying new things such as toys, as the merchant, Muhammad Hamami, explained that the latter becomes a basic requirement in the market and the child rejoices in them, just as parents cannot prevent their children from buying them on this special day, and he said: "Eid is for children."

Hammami is optimistic about this season, hoping that the situation will remain stable in the city, as the festive atmosphere that people have always been accustomed to cannot be dispensed with, and he prays to God to bestow goodness on everyone in these blessed days.

And in the middle of Martyrs' Square, where stalls and peddlers' carts gather and display various goods that delight shoppers, the boy Ahmed Shakhshir sits behind his stall selling bags of different shapes and sizes.

Al-Shakhshir says: "I wanted to open this stall before the Eid, and from it I get my livelihood, and I also enjoy the beautiful Eid atmosphere that characterizes the city day and night, as people come to it from different cities during this period, and it is important that we serve visitors and shoppers."

People are preparing to buy new clothes before the Eid so that they can beautify themselves with the best clothes, so clothing stores witness a great turnout in the last days of Ramadan.

Shadi al-Sarwan, a clothing salesman at the "Rosella" store in the Nablus municipality complex, explained that the commercial activity in general is not the same as it was in the previous holidays.

These preparations are not limited to the markets only, but the municipality begins with the help of the people to clean and decorate the streets, and families in various regions of the governorate gather to clean the graves of their relatives, in addition to placing palm trees and roses on them, and thus they evoke old memories with their relatives of the martyrs and the dead and express their longing for them.

Public gardens and parks are also prepared to receive visitors during the Eid days, as they are very popular on those days.

Women and girls begin the task of cleaning and decorating houses with the help of some men sometimes, and they also prepare cakes themselves, and some of them gather and share the task together, so that its pleasant smell spreads to the surroundings, announcing the approach of Eid, despite the deterioration of the economic conditions experienced by most families.

Um Jamil (65 years) from Askar camp says: "Cake on Eid is considered a tradition that everyone adheres to, and it is like clothing. Women are busy preparing it, with the participation of all members of her family as well as her neighbors."

She added that she does not let a holiday of the year pass without making cakes and maamoul, so that it will always be one of the sweets that she puts on the hospitality table.

She explained that despite the great effort required to make cakes at home, she prefers to make them and not buy them ready-made, noting that their smell alone is enough to create a happy atmosphere in the house, as it is one of the most important rituals that Palestinians practice on Eid Al-Fitr.

And she added, "Also, when we prepare it, the time passes quickly, and we do not feel bored at all. Umm Muhammad makes tea for us, while my daughter cuts the cake dough, stuffs it with dates, and then carves it, while my neighbor Umm Al-Abd bakes it, and thus we all cooperate and enjoy an atmosphere full of love and happiness."

However, this tradition was absent from many homes in the city, especially after the development of lifestyles and the presence of Eid cakes and made in sweet shops, which saved a lot of time and effort in preparing it, especially for female employees and workers, and the demand for buying it instead of making it is increasing little by little.

The employee, Laila, explained: "I work all week and arrive at my house exhausted, and I don't have enough time to prepare sweets at home, so I have to buy them ready-made from stores, and I hardly prepare breakfast."