Yemenis shop ahead of the Eid al-Fitr at a market in Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)
ADEN, Yemen, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Yemeni families flocked to the public markets and began their shopping activities to celebrate the upcoming Eid al-Fitr, the end of Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Despite the country's ongoing military conflict, large throngs of people, especially children and women, expressed their excitement through traditional preparations for receiving the major Muslim holiday.
In the southern port city of Aden, public markets were overwhelmed by shoppers who came from different areas in the country's southern part to buy clothes for their family members, as well as locally-made sweets and accessories.
Skyrocketing prices of basic necessities, such as food and clothing, did not hinder the Yemeni people from going to the shopping centers for Eid al-Fitr.
A vendor displays new shoes for sale ahead of the Eid al-Fitr at a market in Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)
Um Arwa, 39, told Xinhua that bringing happiness to her children and family members during Eid al-Fitr turned to be a priority this year despite that they suffer from the high prices.
"Almost all my savings were spent in buying things for Eid al-Fitr because the prices are high. I tried to overcome, but I want my family to enjoy despite everything," she said.
However, many Yemeni street vendors complained about the country's weak currency that witnessed changes in its exchange rate value just days ahead of Eid al-Fitr, leaving an impact on their businesses activities.
Saad Mohammed, 26, came to Aden and opened a small shop in selling and buying clothes. But the continuing change of the exchange rate of Yemen's riyal against the U.S. dollar makes his earnings decrease.
"Prices of everything increased and I could not buy new goods from the wholesalers," he said, adding that although people are buying staff, the sellers are the losers.
A man buys sweets ahead of the Eid al-Fitr at a market in Sanaa, Yemen, June 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)
Many Yemeni young people were encouraged to open new business as street vendors after noticing an improvement in the security situation in Aden and other southern major provinces that are controlled by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Jamal Zeid, a high school graduate, told Xinhua that the noticeable improvement in Aden's security situation comparing to the previous years led him to work as a street vendor to support his family.
"The situation is safe and everything is going well including the buying and selling process as you can see here," said Zeid who works in selling Eid al-Fitr sweets in Aden's neighborhood of Crater.
In other provinces of Yemen, fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi rebels continued in escalation, forcing thousands of families to flee into refugee camps depriving them of enjoying Eid al-Fitr celebrations along with their relatives.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.
The internal military conflict between the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has entered its fifth year, aggravating the suffering of Yemenis and deepening the already world's worst humanitarian crisis.
