Easter fires will be lit in many places in Drenthe this year during the Easter weekend. This is evident from a tour of RTV Drenthe. Fewer applications were submitted than before in a number of municipalities. But the applications that have been made have generally been approved.
Whether or not to allow Easter fires is up to the mayors of the Drenthe municipalities. Mayor Eric van Oosterhout of the municipality of Emmen has taken the lead in this and has consulted with deputies Henk Jumelet and Hans Kuipers.
A guideline emerged from those conversations. Easter fires that have been there since 1994 can continue anyway. If they only arise after that, a nitrogen study must be carried out, a so-called Aerius calculation.
The guidelines state that municipalities help the organizations in this and bear the costs. If the results are unfavourable, an exception is possible through an exemption or by moving to another location. This year is seen as a kind of transition year.
At the beginning of February, the Weiteveen Easter fire builders sounded the alarm. The complicated nitrogen calculations were beyond them, but the municipality of Emmen came to the rescue and gave the green light a few weeks ago.
“When we heard the good news, we immediately got to work,” says organizer Bennie Menke. “We are busy building up. From the end of January people just brought their pruning waste. So we can build.” The volunteers focus on peripheral matters, such as arranging music and placing notice boards.
There are sixteen Easter fires within the municipality of Emmen this year. A seventeenth application is still pending. Mayor Eric van Oosterhout is happy that the Easter fires will also be lit this year. “It’s about more than a fire, it has grown into a cozy get-together for young and old in many villages. In that respect, the Easter fires are comparable to a beautiful tradition such as carbide shooting.”
The mayor continues: “I hope that within the applicable regulations we will also keep room for these kinds of beautiful traditions that strengthen solidarity in the coming years.” But whether the Easter fires can continue at all locations next year is still unclear.
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