Shopping Frenzy

Ramadan around Dhaka city has always been very special - more than any other time of the year. Educational institutions and private and public sectors change their working hours to suit the fasting month. Shopping malls, however, remain the main attraction during the month with shops open until late hours of the night. Streets around the city are crowded with hawkers and shoppers.

Like I said in an earlier post, we all try to buy gifts for family and friends for Eid. And as Ramadan progresses, the shopping tempo picks up. Shops cater for every taste and budget, and we go into a frenzy to buy buy buy…

Saaries and kurtas for the ladies.

Oh what lovely colors and textures...


Kurtas, shirts and fatuas for the men

Children’s clothes are bright and colourful, whether they are sold in an exclusive shop or in a makeshift stall on the footpath.

No ensemble is complete without accessories. There has to be the right footwear and handbag.

And new socks.

Jewellery is always tempting.

Shops nowadays have such unusual names...

The very names tempt buyers to venture inside.

There is also a brisk trade in prayer mats and beads, caps and religious books. And fragrant attar.

And let us not forget those not quite so fortunate as us. It is quite the norm in Bangladesh to pay zak'aat not only in cash but also in kind. A lot of shops sell zak'aat clothes.

People also try to dress up their houses. They buy furniture and furnishings

Wouldn't it be lovely if the Eid meal could be served on new dinnerware...

Accessories including exotic plants are added to make the dwelling more attractive.

But Eid shopping isn't over until the very last minute. It is customary for some residents of Old Dhaka to start their shopping only on the eve of Eid, after the moon has been sighted. I've never yet been to that part of town on that particular evening, but maybe this year...