The Three Kings

January 6th is Three Kings Day, known in America as Epiphany.  Here in Germany on this day children dress up as the kings and holding a large star go door to door caroling and singing a Three Kings' Song.  For this they receive cookies, sweets or money.  The donations go to a charity of the church.  We saw the Kings walking about last year but they never stopped at our house.  This year we were honored with a visit from them.

They caroled for us at our door and waved incense around.  The whole house smelled of it when they left - it was great!   The kids each put some money in their container.

After they were done singing they put a blessing above our door.  To this day, the doorways would be sprinkled with holy water and the initials of the Three Kings -- C+M+B (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) -- plus the year are inscribed in chalk over doorways to protect house and home. (Although historically the three letters are supposed to come from the Latin phrase for "Christ bless this house" -- "Christus mansionem benedicat" -- few of the people practicing this custom are aware of this fact. In many parts of Europe, including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, the Christmas celebration does not end until this date, now considered the arrival of the three "kings of the orient" in Bethlehem -- and the end of the "twelve days of Christmas" between Christmas and January 6.

 

There were two groups of Kings walking around our village and we saw them all gathered across the street at one point. 

Then they started walking to more houses



Happy Three Kings Day!