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London celebrates Ramadan by putting up 30,000 lights around Piccadilly Circus

The British capital is the first European city to put up lights for the Muslim holiday.

El alcalde de Londres posa frente al alumbrado público con motivo del Ramadán

( @MayorofLondon/ Voz.us )

Published by
Santiago Ospital

Sadiq Khan, London's first Muslim mayor, marked the start of Ramadan by lighting up Piccadilly Circus last Tuesday.

The 30,000 lights will remain up until sunset on April 21, when the month of fasting ends. The lights represent Ramadan motifs, with phases of the moon, stars and the words "Happy Ramadan."

"For me, Christmas has always been the most exciting time in London because of the lights and the festivities. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for Ramadan," explained Rahima Aziz, a trustee for the Aziz Foundation, the organization that advocated for the lights to be put up. She also said:

Let the lights of Ramadan shine will be an amazing experience for all Muslims. My hope is that future generations will look forward to Ramadan as much as everyone looks forward to Christmas.

Despite the festive mood in the city, some Londoners have taken to Twitter to show their discontent, such as @blythie7:

Another user, @pnfard posted the following tweet:

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