SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Celebrations continue in Syria since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in early December. But those public expressions of joy are tempered these days, as Syrians begin to grapple with the reality of soaring prices and scarcities. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports from Damascus.
(SOUNDBITE OF HORNS HONKING)
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: This busy traffic circle in Damascus has become a central gathering place to celebrate the new Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing in non-English language).
KAHN: Friday after midday prayers, crowds line at sidewalks and small parks playing drums and bagpipes, singing revolutionary songs.
HALA SOROUR: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: "It's hard to express how happy we are," beams 28-year-old Hala Sorour. She's painting small Syrian flags on kids' faces.
SOROUR: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: "Let the children be happy," she says. "We all spent so many years suppressed." She finishes her flag with three red stars and a splash of silver glitter. "No charge," she says.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: On the sidewalk, vendors hawk everything from bottled water to baby wipes and candies. Since the regime fell, previously restricted goods are flooding into Syria. Exorbitant tariffs and dollar controls have been lifted, and vendors are free now to sell on the streets.
KAHID SALIH: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: Kahid Salih says in the early days of the fall of Assad, he was selling out of Syrian flags in all shapes and sizes.
SALIH: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: But he says sales have dropped along with celebrations. "People are now so busy with working and trying to feed themselves," he says. Once in the thousands in the weeks following the regime's fall, only about a hundred are in the circle this day.
MUHAMMAD ABU TAHA: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: But fighter Muhammad Abu Taha, dressed in fatigues with his assault rifle slung over his shoulder, isn't deterred. "Look at the fabric of our society now - everyone all together," he says. He's with the interim Islamist government.
TAHA: (Speaking Arabic).
KAHN: He says he knows people are in need, but in about a year or two, with the help of the wealthy Gulf state Qatar, the government will turn the economy around. It's unclear how long Syrians can wait, though. Many in the circle came to protest - something unthinkable during the regime. One group decries low government salaries, another demands information about loved ones who vanished in Assad's brutal prisons. But others want to keep celebrating.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Singing in Arabic).
KAHN: Like this boy waving a flag atop his parents' car and singing, cursing the Assad family. It's one of the most popular songs in Syria today.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ROMIYO")
HOZAN MENAF: (Singing in Arabic).
KAHN: Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Damascus.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ROMIYO")
MENAF: (Singing in Arabic). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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