- Title: Children dressed as Wise Men sing carols to German President Joachim Gauck
- Date: 6th January 2017
- Summary: GUITAR PLAYER, CHILDREN HEARD SINGING CHALK WRITING ON DOOR SHOWING YEAR 2017 AND THE INITIALS OF THE THREE WISE MEN CASPAR, MALCHIOR AND BALTHAZAR, OR THE FIRST THREE LETTERS OF "CHRISTUS MANSIONEM BENEDICAT" VARIOUS OF CHILDREN SINGING
- Embargoed: 21st January 2017 12:49
- Keywords: Ephiphany singers carols German President Joachim Gauck
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0025XXYZBT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Children in Germany marked Epiphany on Friday (January 6) with a special trip to the Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin.
Dressed as Wise Men in colourful robes and golden crowns, the children knocked on the door to summon German President Joachim Gauck.
Gauck, who holds a largely ceremonial role, greeted the children before they regaled him with carols.
The tradition of the "Sternsinger", literally "star singers", sees around 300,000 children across Germany pay visits to households and public facilities to spread Christmas cheer and collect money for charity during the first week of January.
"I am glad because you are doing something good. You travel around the country not only to show your beautiful costumes and the imagination that went into making them, not only for your own happiness and wellbeing, but also to collect lots of money," Gauck told the children before adding his own donation.
The money raised by this year's singers is being donated to help farming communities in northern Kenya cope with the effects of climate change.
Epiphany is also known as the "Dreikoenigsfest", or "Three Kings Festival" in Germany. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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