The blessing comes via video message

Created: 01/05/2022, 06:45 AM

The carol singers of the Dachau parish of Sankt Peter also bring the blessing to the house via video.

© Petra Schafflik

It's caroling time.

But in corona days everything is a little different here too.

Dachau - "Christ Mansionem Benedicat - Christ bless this house": This blessing, which the carol singers traditionally bring to the people on Holy Three Kings, comes to the citizens of the district in different ways this year.

There are no specifications or uniform rules.

Every parish association and often every parish has developed its own offer.

In a tried and tested manner, four children march in Feldgeding as star bearers with the three kings from the Orient through the town. Families who have registered to attend the carol singers are sought out, explains Simone Kleer, who organizes the group together with two other mothers. After the blessing was only thrown in at the 300 Feldgedingen households last year, the tradition is to be lived again this year. With due consideration for the pandemic, of course. “We test the children in the morning, they don't sing a song, keep their distance and are not allowed to accept sweets.” A box is placed in front of the door so that donations can be handed over at a distance. The group will march off 40 addresses, that's how many registrations have been received by the organizers. "The children are happy and so are the people",tells Kleer. In the Bergkirchen-Schwabhausen parish association there are different ways in which people get their blessings. Believers have been able to collect incense from the church since the beginning of the year.

Without registration, the carol singers come by in Palsweis, Priel, Deutenhausen, Eisolzried, Kreuzholzhausen and Puchschlag, throw blessings and incense in the mailbox, where no one is found.

In other places in the parish association, on the other hand, registration was required.

Without a personal visit from the carol singers, the people in Petershausen have to get by again this year.

Originally, groups were supposed to go to the houses again, but due to current developments, Pastor Peter Dietz decided to switch the carol singing campaign to throwing mail again, as last year.

Children and young people dressed as carolers will walk through Petershausen, Kollbach, Obermarbach and Asbach and throw donation bags and blessing stickers into the mailboxes.

The parish association Heilig Kreuz - Sankt Peter in Dachau relies on a combination of tradition and modernity. No carolers group has formed there this year, but the children are out and about in the Sankt Peter area. And so that the blessing comes to every house, the carol singers from Sankt Peter also recorded a video and posted it on YouTube. In this film message they also appeal to the willingness to donate. Because traditionally the carol singers not only bring blessings into the houses, but also always collect donations for the Kindermissionswerk, which supports girls and boys all over the world with various projects.

The carol singers in the district are also part of this world's largest solidarity campaign by children for children and this year advertise under the motto “Get healthy, stay healthy” for gifts for the health care of children all over the world.

PETRA SCHAFFLIK