Fireworks and Ramadan in Palestine
Palestine, Culture, 1/29/1998

The heavy rain that fell on most of the Palestinian areas did not deter hundreds of families from holding their routine visits to the graveyards early on Thursday morning, the first day of the Ramadan Feast (Eid Al Fitr Al Mubarak.)

On every Muslim feast, families visit graves of their dead relatives, with a special stress on those who were killed in clashes with Israeli troops over years of resistance to the military occupation. Verses from the Holy book of Koran are read as teardrops roll down faces of many. But within hours, the atmosphere is changed and signs of joy and celebration fill the air.

The weather was cold, windy and rainy. Storms hit some areas but, regardless, children felt it was a day for playing outside. Their main toys were fireworks. Throughout the past three decades of Israeli military occupation, fireworks were difficult to obtain. The Israelis considered them dangerous and thought they could be used in attacks on their troops. But when the Palestinian National Authority was established and a sense of independence, though not complete, was felt by the Palestinians, fireworks were easy to get. Any person can walk into many shops and pick up what matches his taste.

Yet, what seemed to be a sign of independence for the Palestinians became a reason for deep worry. Children who play with fireworks do not understand how dangerous they can be. Now that Israel is not in charge of the Palestinian areas, it finds no problem even in marketing those formerly banned fireworks among the Palestinians.

Fadel Bushnaq, a Jenin lawyer who heads Al Murshed (Arabic for guide) Center for Studies and Researches, estimates that the Palestinians spend some US $20 million per year on fireworks. Use of fireworks is most popular during holidays and during the Holy Month of Ramadan. "This is an unnecessary extravagance out of the Palestinian national resources and something needs to be done to minimize it," he said.

The exaggerated use of fireworks, he said, has transformed them from a funny and amusing toy into a real burden on the Palestinian economy, which in itself is suffering from a serious setback. The speed with which fireworks spread through the Palestinian areas, he said, is a red light that needs to be analyzed properly by the authorities since those fireworks are not Palestinian made but are either made in Israel or imported from abroad by Israel and marketed in the Palestinian areas.

Previous Stories:
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  Interesting data for researchers: Gap between Palestinians is still there   (1/12/1998)
  Palestinian Women's Union holds coference on violence   (11/26/1997)

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