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Demand for Christmas ornaments hand-crafted in Kashmir drops amid US tariffs
The Christmas season is usually busy for artisans in Indian-controlled Kashmir, who make Christmas ornaments to sell worldwide. But this year, demand has decreased because of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in the US.
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Artisans at a workshop in Srinagar in Indian-controlled Kashmir make Christmas ornaments to sell worldwide.
Syed Shahriyar/The World
In the months leading up to Christmas, artisans in Indian-controlled Kashmir are generally busy making ornaments that end up on Christmas trees around the world.
They work in home-based workshops using a traditional papier-mâché technique.
Typically, they have to hustle to fill orders, but this year, because of US tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, demand has significantly dropped.
Syed Shahriyar visited some of these artisans in the city of Srinagar and gathered images of their work.
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Once dried into round ornaments, traditional Kashmiri artists hand paint and decorate each piece.Syed Shahriyar/The World
Kashmiri artisans use a traditional papier-mâché technique to create their Christmas ornaments before they are painted by hand.Syed Shahriyar/The World
While artisans in Kashmir used to create between 40,000 to 50,000 ornaments each Christmas season, US tariffs have caused demand to drop to about 4,000 to 5,000.Syed Shahriyar/The World
Christmas ornaments, also called baubles, are created in many shapes, including stars, bells, hanging deer, elephants, cats and hearts.Syed Shahriyar/The World