Fès is already tasting the flavours of Ramadan!

The whole city is resuming its old habits, putting on its traditional and spiritual clothes. At R'cif or even at Bab Sensla, make way for the entertainment of the big days! The spectacle reminds one of the effervescence of the early hours that precede the breaking of the fast. Everyone is jostling to buy chebakia or stock up on briouate, khliâ, and spices. Scents are released from every corner and the merchants are rubbing their hands. Here, everyone has changed jobs to improvise as a "master pastry chef". In addition to local demand, a good part of the production is sent to Casablanca. Where a large community of Fassis resides, who remain very attached to the products of the "terroir". By the admission of several merchants, Ramadan sales represent more than half of the year's turnover. Enough to whet the appetite of all the greedy! If Ramadan has always been synonymous with spirituality, solidarity, mutual aid, and conviviality, it has recently become a godsend for all those who want to get rich, and faster, on the backs of citizens. Not only the cake merchants who are getting into the Ramadan spirit. At Souk Blaghi (babouches), they are also scanning the sky because the demand is very strong for craft products, and the people in the trade who are twiddling their thumbs in these lean times are doing good business during this month. On the spiritual side, places of worship are washed thoroughly, because the last ten days of the month of Sha'ban see a strong influx into the mosques for the collective reading of the Quran, before the large gatherings of the faithful for the Taraweeh prayers. The new city is no exception to the rule. Queues are starting to form in front of some pastry shops that are taking orders for all the treats and other delicacies of the occasion. Because everyone wants to be there on the "big day", even if it means paying a high price. Large supermarkets are also competing in ingenuity to attract the maximum number of customers, by multiplying promotions and sales on mass consumption products. There too, there is something for all tastes and all budgets. Faced with the rise in demand, the authorities are reassuring about the state of the market and the stability of prices, promising to crack down on any speculation, which has become commonplace during this month. No worries to have, therefore, neither for gas, nor for oil or sugar: All products will be available in sufficient quantity and the supply will even be largely superior to the demand for several foodstuffs. Prices are even falling for some products, such as table oil, to the great delight of households who are asking for more! The ad-hoc commission set up by the wilaya has also decided to increase hygiene control to preserve the health of citizens and ensure the quality of products placed on the market. The only worry: The weather. After the heatwave of the last few days, we unfortunately expect long and very hot days. With a mercury that sometimes nears 50 degrees, the inhabitants of Fès are praying to have all the strength to accomplish the month of fasting.

Provider / Source : MAP, Le Matin