The German city of Frankfurt has become the first in the nation to commemorate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, with celebratory lighting installed that has earned praise from the local Muslim community.
Workers have been hanging lights shaped like stars and crescent moons near Frankfurt's Alte Oper concert hall in preparation for the start of Ramadan on March 10, reported Germany's Bild newspaper.
During the Ramadan fasting and reflective period, which runs to April 9, Frankfurt's pedestrianized Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse, often referred to locally as "Fressgass", or "food alley", will feature a prominent "Happy Ramadan" sign and festive decorations.
The decorations were blocked by some officials last year, but the city's governing Green Party was able to push the motion through this year.
"By decorating during Ramadan, the city of Frankfurt is sending an important signal to Muslims and appreciates the people of Muslim faith in this city," the Greens wrote in an application to the city council.
Frankfurt's Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grunberg, of the Greens, said: "They are lights of togetherness, against reservations, against discrimination, against anti-Muslim racism, and also against anti-Semitism."
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