“Happy Ramadan”: Frankfurt lights up for the Muslim holiday, for the first time in Germany

“Happy Ramadan.” The German city of Frankfurt was decorated with festive lights on Sunday to mark the Muslim holy month, a first for the country, according to authorities and local media. A large sign reading “Happy Ramadan” and lights in the shape of stars, lanterns and crescents were officially unveiled during an afternoon ceremony, illuminating the downtown pedestrian street lined with restaurants and cafes.

According to local authorities and German media, this is the first time that a German city has illuminated its streets in honor of Ramadan. Frankfurt’s first deputy mayor, Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, welcomed the “magnificent” gesture, which demonstrates the “peaceful coexistence of all Frankfurt residents.” “In times of crisis and war, this lighting is a sign of hope for everyone and strengthens the cohesion of our urban and diverse society,” she said earlier in the week. The city, Germany’s financial center, is home to more than 750,000 residents, including about 100,000 Muslims.

Scenery in Cologne

According to Bild newspaper, Ramadan street decorations were also installed in the city of Cologne for the first time, although they were financed by private donations rather than public funds.

The Frankfurt branch of the Muslim Coordination Council welcomed the initiative, which it sees as a sign of “recognition of the cultural and religious diversity of our international city.” Robert Lambrou, a regional lawmaker for Hesse whose far-right AfD party is leading in the polls, denounced the “gesture of submission to Islam.”

The initiative comes from municipal councilor Omar Shehata of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party. He explained to the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper that he was inspired by London, which first caught fire last year during Ramadan. Asked about criticism from the AfD, he replied: “Many people in Frankfurt are united against the far right, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism.”