Syrians celebrate 'Victory Day' - but are nervous about what comes next

I could barely walk 10 paces without someone stopping me wanting to talk, to tell me about their happiness that this day has come, and their sadness for those they have lost.

"For over 50 years, nobody has been able to speak openly, now they just can't stop talking," Sky producer Jeehad Jneid quipped, as we walked through the crowds.

We had joined thousands upon thousands of people on the streets of Homs, Syria, making their way to the 'Clock Tower' - the main square where some of the first spontaneous demonstrations against Bashar al Assad began in 2011.

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Men, women, and children swarmed into the square. The crowds were overseen by revolutionary fighters on rooftops, and at checkpoints nearby, fighters were checking that nobody was carrying weapons - no guns were allowed in.

There was some segregation in the crowd, a section for men, a section for women, and a section for families. But Homs is a conservative place, and nobody seemed to care.

This was to be a day of freedom, their 'Victory Day'. A sentiment shared by all ages and all sexes.

"I can't even describe this thing that's going on right now, it's massive, huge happiness, we are all experiencing this together," Haia Farhan told me.

Although people here are nervous about what comes next, they're overjoyed that Assad and his government are gone.

"I see the future and it's looking very bright and yes everyone is scared, it's scary times, but I see the future, and I really hope it's bright," she said.

At the Omar bin Khattab mosque a short walk away, the crowds started arriving long before Friday prayers were set to begin.

It was packed to the rafters - there was no space inside, so the worshippers spilled onto the streets outside to pray and listen to the sermon.

Sheikh Mahmoud Dalati was the spiritual leader of the uprising in Homs, and he returned from exile to deliver the sermon calling for unity, law and order, and no retribution - use the courts he said.

He also urged everyone to be patient with the new government and to understand that it will take time to get basic services like electricity and water up and running.

"It's like moving into a new home," he said in his sermon, "you need at least three months to settle in".

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Clerics carry a lot of weight here, but they can't guarantee anything.

Everyone who stopped me to talk told me they wanted an end to divisions and violence, that they wanted a Syria for all faiths.

I spoke to one man, Taha Tadmori, who had lost two brothers to Assad's murderous regime. He just wants peace now.

"All kinds of people, all kinds of religion here in Syria can live together in peace, to live together and rebuild this country which needs rebuilding," he said.

Syria may have fundamentally changed but ultimately nobody knows the direction it will go.

But for its people, today is a day to celebrate - a day of unity, a day of pure happiness.

(c) Sky News 2024: Syrians celebrate 'Victory Day' - but are nervous about what comes next