Citizens turn the town into a Christmas village every year
With the start of the Advent season, the East Frisian village of Bingumgaste is transformed into a Christmas village every year. Many of the 20 houses in the village are then decorated with long strings of lights, says Arno Spekker, who has lived in Bingumgaste for 72 years. "It started about ten years ago and then got bigger and bigger."
One of the most striking buildings in the village of 50 near Leer is probably that of Dennis Busemann. He has decorated his house and a barn with almost 1000 fairy lights and almost every year he comes up with a new decoration, as he says. It took him about three and a half weeks to do this. "We do it because we think it's beautiful," says Busemann. "It's not just one person who has one on their helmet with the fairy lights, but everyone."
However, not everyone in the village puts up quite as many decorations as Busemann. Everyone does as much as they want. "Many are also decorated in the normal way," says Spekker, who has lived in the village the longest. He makes sure that his house is decorated discreetly. "No colorful lights."
In addition to the residents, onlookers are also interested in the brightly lit village, which can be seen from highway 31. "When cars drive past, you often see people taking photos and filming," says Busemann. Sometimes people come by just to look at the festively decorated houses.
At the turn of the year, the Customs officers often visit Bingumgaste to admire the colorful Christmas decorations that transform the village. Despite not participating in the grand scale decoration, Spekker's house still maintains the Christmas spirit, albeit with a muted palette.
Source: www.dpa.com
