Following the London example

Frankfurt has Ramadan lighting for the first time this year

A Muslim hangs up fairy lights and glowing crescent moons for Ramadan - street lighting can also increasingly be seen in European cities during the month of fasting.

(Bild: AFP)

To mark the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Frankfurt am Main has decorated a street with lanterns, stars and crescent moons. On a large sign, the German financial metropolis wishes its Muslim residents "Happy Ramadan" - they make up 15 percent of the total population. However, this measure does not go down well with every city dweller.

Ramadan is the highest religious festival for Muslims and takes place this year from March 10 to April 9. Frankfurt is the first city in Germany to decorate itself with magnificent fairy lights. London is likely to have served as a model: Last year, Piccadilly Circus in the British capital shone with Ramadan lighting.

This article shows the street lighting in London:

"Important sign of Muslim life"
This probably gave the Green politicians in Frankfurt the idea of carrying out a similar campaign. In 2023, under their leadership, a motion was passed through parliament to hang Ramadan lighting in Frankfurt for the first time. "By decorating during Ramadan, the city of Frankfurt is sending an important signal for Muslim life and appreciating the people of the Muslim faith in this city," Bild quoted from the motion.

In this Facebook post, the Ramadan decorations in Frankfurt are shown - and criticized for the high costs, among other things:

Some city politicians surprised by set-up
The newspaper reported that the town hall then went quiet about it. As a result, some city politicians were downright surprised when the decorations were recently put up. "They are lights of togetherness, against reservations, against discrimination, against anti-Muslim racism and also against anti-Semitism", emphasized Frankfurt's mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg.

The lighting is located above a pedestrian zone in the city and was purchased abroad. Bild" estimates the costs at between 50,000 and 100,000 euros. By way of comparison, the city's Christmas lights cost around 75,000 euros. A "Bild" columnist denounces that this is a lot of money for taxpayers and that "the project was pushed through without public debate".

The lighting is also the subject of heated debate on social media. One X user asks whether "similar lighting will also be put up for Easter or Yom Kippur". The Facebook post above also criticizes the fact that no congratulations are even offered for holidays of other religions.