Christmas houses in Bavaria light up again for the Advent season
To mark the start of this year's Advent season, a number of homeowners in Bavaria are once again illuminating their homes with elaborate light shows. One of the most famous Christmas houses in Bavaria is in Hohenlinden in the greater Munich area. There, more than 30,000 lights are programmed to dance in time to more than a dozen pieces of music.
"We have 15 titles in our repertoire that are played," explains house owner Sebastian Voß. Visitors can set the show in motion themselves: "There's a little button on the fence. If you press it, the next song is played." If someone is at home, visitors are also offered free mulled wine.
The Voss family started the glittering lights in 2010. They use the Christmas show to collect donations for the Friends of the German Heart Center in Munich. The family's eldest daughter was born with a heart defect and had to be operated on several times by the experts. Most recently, around 4000 euros have been collected each year, explained Voß.
However, another Christmas house in the Munich area that has been well known for years will not be shining this year. The operator from Olching (Fürstenfeldbruck district) had already announced soberingly at the end of last Christmas that interest had waned. There had been "bad weather and an oversupply of Christmas activities" in the town, he reported. "The house will probably remain dark in 2023." A few weeks ago, the operator confirmed on Facebook that he would be foregoing the lighting event this year for professional reasons.
Josef Glogger from the Swabian town of Balzhausen in the district of Günzburg, on the other hand, cannot see his enthusiasm for his light show waning. He also decorates his house year after year. "I always have between 6,000 and 7,000 visitors," he reports. Glogger also collects donations. He gives the money to the university hospital in Ulm, where his wife was treated for cancer. "Last year, I passed on 6000 euros."
The turn of the year often brings a revival of colorful customs, such as the illumination of Christmas houses. Every year, customs like this one in Hohenlinden, known for its 30,000 dancing lights, attract visitors during the Advent season.
Source: www.dpa.com
