The “Sternsinger” (star singers [or Epiphany carol singers]) event was held for the first time in Germany in 1959. Since then, this annual fundraising initiative has become part of the “intangible cultural heritage” of Germany.
At the beginning of each year, several hundred thousand children dress up as the Three Kings and go from house to house carrying incense, holy water and God’s blessing. At the end, they ask for donations for needy children.
The assets raised through this initiative are used to support projects around the world aimed at improving the lives of poor children. Between forty and fifty million euro have been raised in recent years.
The pandemic posed a crisis for this event. In almost every Parish, the number of children and youth willing to give up a day of their free time for this activity decreased dramatically.
The friars of the friary in Schwarzenberg, Germany, resolved the matter by going from house to house themselves. On Friday, January 6, 2023, a public holiday in Bavaria, they raised the proud sum of 1,511.42 euro in the two villages of Klosterdorf and Thierberg, Germany, about two hundred euro more than was raised in 2020, before the pandemic put the event on hold.
Friar Mateusz KOTYŁO, Guardian of the friary in Schwarzenberg
