German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a large group of children dressed up as "wise men" in her first official act of 2016. She said the story of the three wise men still reflected important values in Europe today.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed more than 100 children at the Federal Chancellery building in Berlin for atraditional January appointment at Epiphany, marking the twelfth and final night of the Christmas season. Merkel said that their presence gave her and her staff motivation to face new challenges in the year ahead, and that it always was something for her to look forward to in the new year.
The chancellor also stressed that the children, who came dressed up as magi and are usually referred to as "Sternsinger" (literal translation: star singers) in German, symbolized hope that "things can always turn for the better."
The "Sternsinger" children go from door to door collecting donations for a charitable cause involving children in developing countries each year. Last year, the Catholic initiative managed to amass more than 45 million euros ($48 millions) for Christian charities.
An established tradition
The 108 boys and girls participating in the event in Berlin were chosen from the 27 Catholic dioceses across Germany, with each diocese sending four children to represent their area.
Germany's 'Sternsinger' tradition
The Bible says that the Three Wise Men followed a star to bring gifts to the Baby Jesus. Every year, half a million young carol singers follow their example to raise funds for children's aid projects worldwide.
Image: Reuters/G. Sposito
In the footsteps of the Magi
Dressed in colorful robes and gold crowns and carrying a star, every year hundreds of thousands of children, mainly in Germany and Austria, go from house to house singing carols and collecting money for aid projects around the world. This Catholic charity initiative, started in 1959, takes place in the run-up to Epiphany on January 6 and is the biggest global fundraiser by children for children.
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Biblical example
The "Star Singer" tradition refers to the Christmas story in the Bible. Three kings from the Orient - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar - are said to have seen a star announcing the birth of Jesus. Bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh, they followed the star all the way to the manger in Bethlehem. These Three Wise Men, or Magi, are also a popular motif for the decoration of sweets and cakes.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Carol singing
This year, Germany's national "Sternsinger" fundraiser was launched on December 29, 2015 with a ceremony in Fulda. Over 2,000 young carol singers from all over Germany took part in this year's opening mass. The event also included workshops and information on nutrition, fair trade and this year's motto country, Bolivia.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Rumpenhorst
Controversial face painting
Traditionally, one of the three "Sternsinger" paints his face black as one of the kings, probably Melchior or Caspar, is said to have had dark skin. While the practice draws harsh criticism each year, the blackfaced king is not alone. "Zwaarte Piet" ("Black Peter") in the Netherlands, who traditionally helps St Nicholas distribute presents, is often painted as well.
Image: Timm Schamberger/AFP/Getty Images
Home-made costumes
In many Catholic communities, the whole family is busy between Christmas and New Year preparing for the "Sternsinger" initiative. There's a lot to be done: cutting out wooden stars, making crowns and sewing robes for the kings. And, of course, the groups of singers have to rehearse a broad repertoire of carols - they don't want to be singing the same songs from morning till night!
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Bless this house
After the carol singing, the carolers bless the house by writing the abbreviation "C+M+B," bracketed by the numbers of the year, in white chalk on the door. Contrary to what one might think, the three letters do not stand for Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, but for the Latin blessing "Christus mansionem benedicat." In English: "Christ bless this house."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Collecting for children's charities
At the end of each visit the "Sternsinger" bring out their collection box. Last year, in Germany alone, they collected 45.5 million euros (about $50 million). The money is given to aid projects for children around the world. In 2016, the emphasis is on Bolivia, which is the poorest country in South America.
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Singing in high places
Over 10,000 parishes all over Germany are taking part in the "Sternsinger" initiative. This year, three young "Sternsinger" from Eichstätt served the Vatican's New Year's mass with Pope Francis. On January 5, the eve of Epiphany, a group of 108 carol singers will also visit Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Image: Reuters/G. Sposito
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Elsewhere in the country, more than 300,000 children are currently expected to trek through their neighborhoods, knocking on doors for donations while performing the traditional new year blessing, singing songs dressed up as the three wise men mentioned in the New Testament.
The children move in groups of three and are usually accompanied by at least one supervising adult. Going from house to house, this year they will write "20+C+M+B+16" using chalk on house entrances, which stands for "Christus mansionem benedicat" - the Latin translation of "May Christ bless this house." The numerals 20 and 16 combine to make the year.
Each year, the "Sternsinger" highlight a different country or group, raising awareness on underreported issues around the globe. For 2016, the Sternsinger chose to highlight poverty in Bolivia under the motto "Respect - for you, for me, for others."
Merkel highlights 'respect'
Chancellor Merkel picked up on the Latin language theme, saying that this year's motto for the event, "Respect," was also derived from a Latin word, with the root-word "spectare" meaning "to observe something" in its language of origin. Without referring to Europe's influx of refugees as such, Merkel stressed that in order to be respectful in such a manner, people had to be "open to observing new things, be that a person or an object."
"When I decide to open myself up to experiencing a new person, I have to be willing to be surprised by them and discover something I didn't know before," Merkel said in presence of the group of children.
Although she did not mention the issue of refugees or asylum explicitly, Merkel cited Article 1 of Germany's constitution, which begins: "Human dignity is inviolable." She told the children that this statement applied not only to people in Germany but also to "people that live in Europe," adding that "it should be applied to all people."
Chancellor Merkel donated 200 euros ($215) in cash. Her office will also be donating another 7,500 euros to a particular aid project in Bolivia, which is also supported by the Catholic initiative.