The mayor of a Belgian town says officials had no idea the new Christmas decorations would remind people of penises when lit up. He blamed budget constraints and advised everyone to appreciate the humor of the situation.
According to local media, Belgians have been actively sharing images of the decorations on social media and joking about how the long, thick white illuminated shafts with bulging blue spheres on top resembled erect penises. The newspaper HLN counted no less than 90 such objects installed on the streets of the small town of Oudenburg in the country’s West Flanders province.
Mayor Anthony Dumarey admitted to receiving “many reactions” to the phallic-shaped street art. But that was not the plan, he insisted. “We were on a limited budget, so our technical department designed the illumination by itself,” he told the media.
It was certainly not intended to turn out this way. When the lights are off, the suggestive shape is not visible. But once it is lit, you can see it clearly.
“In any case, we wanted to move away from the classic flame or candle-themed illumination,” Dumarey explained, adding that each decoration cost the town €165 ($195) to make. “If we wanted to buy something instead, we would have to pay 500 euros each.”
Mayor said the result was “not that big of a problem,” and that everyone could use “some humor in these times.”
“For instance, a woman told me laughing that she would also like a big Christmas pecker at her door. Some people snap photos with them with thumps up. It is certainly the most talked about Christmas illumination in the country!” Dumarey said.
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