Germany's 'Sternsinger' tradition

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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."

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.

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.