Chancellor Merkel met with around 100 children from all over Germany for the event held at her offices in Berlin on Tuesday.

The chancellor joined in as the children, dressed up in “Three Wise Men” costumes sang carols to mark the traditional Christian feast day Epiphany, which actually fell on Monday.

"I'm not so good at standing and have to lie down a lot," Merkel said as she welcomed the children to the chancellery.

Most appointments canceled

The chancellor was forced to cancel most of her appointments for the next three weeks, after she suffered a partial pelvis fracture in a cross-country skiing accident in Switzerland over the Chirstmas holidays.

Among the appointments cancelled were a planned visit to Poland on Wednesday and a reception for the prime minister of Luxembourg on Thursday in Berlin.

The chancellor's spokesman said on Monday that she would be working from home as much as possible to give her injury a chance to heal.

However, Merkel, who was sworn in for a third term as chancellor on December 17, is planning to chair the first meeting of her new "grand coalition" cabinet on Wednesday.

pfd/ipj (dpa, AFP)