Cairo: Omar Hamouda, an owner of a gift shop in north Cairo, has a particular reason for jubilation on Eid Al Adha.
Rises in beef prices, including those of sacrificial meat, have made several disappointed customers in his working-class district of Matariya turn to his store for solace.
Hamouda sells, among other things, Chinese-made toy sheep that have grown popular in several parts of Egypt in recent weeks.
Muslims have the tradition of slaughtering sacrificial sheep and cattle on Eid Al Adha in commemoration of Prophet Ebrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Esmail at God’s command.
“People can’t afford the high prices of meat. So, they find in toy sheep a compensation for their children,” the 52-year-old man said.
In recent months, Egypt has seen hikes in prices of several products, including meat.
The government has blamed the increases on what it called “greedy” merchants and pledged to provide discount food items at state-run outlets.
Traders in import-reliant Egypt have, however, attributed the price rises to high exchange rates of the dollar against the local pound and new taxes introduced by the government as part of reforms aimed at revitalising the flagging economy.
Faced with the soaring prices of sacrificial animals, many Egyptians have said they decided to buy Odhiya (sacrificial) vouchers sold by governmental and non-governmental charity groups that offer the meat to the poor.
Other Egyptians, like Hamouda, have turned their backs on the meat — though for different reasons.
“I suffer from gout and doctors have advised me to avoid eating meat,” he said. “I’ve bought some kilos for my children to eat. But they are more interested in the toy sheep.”
In the run-up to Eid Al Adha, which started on Monday, Hamouda displayed an array of the toy sheep outside his store. The furry toys can also be seen up for sale at Cairo street corners.
Their prices range from 30 Egyptian pounds (Dh12.4) to 100 per piece, depending on the size.
“I have done good business selling these sheep that attract children with their snow-white and grey fur,” said Hamouda. “Several young people have also come to the store and bought them to offer them as a present to their fiancees during Eid.”
Some of the toy sheep take the shape of Shaun the Sheep, a popular character in a British animation television series of the same name.
“My nine-year-old child is a fan of Shaun the Sheep,” said Salama Saeed, a father of four. “After I failed to buy a real ram to slaughter it on Eid due to high prices this year, I decided to buy a toy sheep for my youngest child to make him feel the joy of Eid,” added Salama, a government employee.
“The problem remains with my other three sons, who keep asking me to buy a ram. But I can’t afford it in these hard times.”
Eid Al Adha comes almost two weeks before the start of the new school year in Egypt, which for many families means paying a lot of money in terms of school fees and private lessons.
