The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, once a source of delight for Syrians, has now lost its luster because of the 19-month-long crisis in the country.
Although the Syrian government has agreed on a ceasefire during the holiday and the rebels have said that any ceasefire agreed by the government will be reciprocal, many Syrians doubt that a long- lasting truce would actually take place.
Most of the streets in the country are empty and many citizens have opted to confine themselves to their houses during the holiday. The situation is even worse for those who have fled their homes due to the violence.
"I am longing to go back to my house which I have deserted three months ago at Harasta... The house here is overcrowded and we never felt comfortable," said Ayman Hamwi, a lawyer who is currently residing in his parents' house in Damascus after fleeing the incessant fighting near his house at the city's suburb of Harasta.
Hamwi said his two sisters along with their husbands and children have also left their houses in Damascus' outskirts and sought shelter in the same house.
"Each family, with at least five members, is crammed into one room... No one is able to maintain privacy," he said indignantly.
The man's sister, Nada, said while fighting with tears, "We have already lost delight in the Eid. What we want now is no more than few days of peace and calm."
The Syrian army announced Thursday in a statement broadcast by the state-run Syrian TV that all military operations would be halted during the four-day holiday, but warned that the decision is reversible in case the armed groups breached the truce.
The Syrian government's decision has come in response to UN- Arab League joint envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's plan for a ceasefire during the Eid.
Skepticism about the ceasefire have increased after the rejection of Jihadist group Jabhet al-Nusra, or al-Nusra Front. The al-Qaida-affiliated group has claimed responsibility for several high-profile suicide bombings in Syria, and said it would not be tricked into playing "filthy games."
Recent UN estimates revealed that as many as 1.5 million Syrians have been displaced. Some local UN officials and officials from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent put the number as high as 2 million. Among them, some 300,000 Syrians have fled the country, the UN said.
With the winter not far off, many refugees are still scattered in makeshift shelters across the country, including mosques, churches, schools, and abandoned buildings. Many others are staying with relatives in the capital, which is still a haven from the violence that has hit most of its outskirts.
Hossam, a taxi driver, said he was encouraged by the government 's announcement that its troops had purged the area of al-Tadamen from terrorists and returned home three week ago. However, violence flared up once again and two days ago a car bomb exploded in the area, killing four people and wounding more than a dozen.
"We can't feel at ease... The area is no longer safe for us," he said, adding that he is now living with his three kids and wife at his sister's house in Damascus.
"We hope the truce will be a prelude for a long-lasting tranquility," he said, "I am sure that all parties have become exhausted and want a solution... Hope the truce will be at last a good omen for peace."
