Preparations ahead of the Islamic holiday of Eid

• published: 31 Jul 2015
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AP TELEVISION August 5, 2013 1. Wide of jewellery shop with girls buying bangles 2. Various of girls and women trying bracelets on 3. Close of bracelets 4. Various of woman getting her eyebrows threaded at beauty parlour 5. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Farah Naz, customer: "I got my eyebrows done, a facial and a hair cut and I also decorated my hands with henna. I love decorating my hands with henna." 6. Various of girls getting their hands decorated with henna 7. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Quratul Ain, henna artist: "Clients start coming to decorate their hands with Mehndi (a type of henna) ahead of Eid as the henna decoration we do here is very popular and liked by the young girls. And during the last night of Ramadan we almost worked the entire night because we were full with clients. Women in particular love to decorate their hands with henna and their Eid is not complete if they don't have it." 8. Girls displaying their hands decorated with henna August 4, 2013 9. Store owned by famous Pakistani designer Deepak Parwani presenting her new collection for Eid 10. Various of clients checking the clothes and handbags 11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Maheen Hasan, shopper: "I think for Eid all sorts of customers are out there. But I think for me personally I would definitely want it to be something that is more functional. Something that would go on further and not just that one Eid day. So it has to be something that I can wear in maybe a different manner or accessorise differently at some other event." 12. Wide of shoppers August 6, 2013 13. Various of people at shoe stall in street 14. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Mohammad Shiraz, customer: "These days regardless of how much you earn, you run out of money due to the high prices of almost every item. Products are so expensive that they are out of our purchasing power. That is why we have chosen lower priced alternatives." 15. Wide of people at walking among market stalls 16. Various of soldier with automatic machine gun at security post overlooking market STORYLINE: Shopping centres, street markets and high-end stores in Pakistan have been bustling with clients for the past few days in preparation for the Eid festival, a holiday that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year, Eid will fall either on Thursday or Friday depending on the sighting of the moon. In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, bazaars and stores remain open until late at night to allow clients to do last minute shopping and prepare for the festivities. Women of all ages packed jewellery stores and also beauty parlours where they spent hours getting their hair done and their henna tattoos on their hands and feet. "I got my eyebrows done, a facial and a hair cut and I also decorated my hands with henna. I love decorating my hands with henna", said Farah Naz. Henna artist Quratul Ain has been extremely busy with her clients for almost a week. The establishment where she works designing intricate patters with henna is a favourite for Karachi's young women. After the month of Ramadan where fasting and praying is the norm, the Eid celebrations bring Muslims of all social and economic classes to the shops. During the past years Pakistan's economy has suffered as much as the rest of the world with higher prices and lower wages and many locals have complained that prices were even higher during this time of the year. "These days regardless of how much you earn, you run out of money due to the high prices of almost every item. Products are so expensive that they are out of our purchasing power," said Mohammed Shiraz after perusing the stalls of the market with his wife. Security is another big concern in Pakistan and authorities have stepped up security across the city's key commercial areas. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/2c84bdd591abd6ce3d021c52fb674795 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork