Carolers on the road

Carolers: 17,000 steps with crown & incense

Magdalena, Emma and Valentina collect donations for the Epiphany campaign in Laßnitzhöhe.

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar are currently traveling through the country again and collecting donations for over 500 aid projects. On the road with Emma, Valentina and Magdalena in Laßnitzhöhe.

They had walked more than 17,000 steps the day before - at least according to the pedometer on Magdalena's cell phone. At 8 a.m. on Saturday, the 13-year-old is once again standing in front of the parish in Laßnitzhöhe wearing a colorful cape and a golden cardboard crown, a wooden donation box in her hand. Together with her friends Emma and Valentina from Nestelbach - "star" Elisabeth is unfortunately ill - she will once again walk several thousand steps. "We're doing this for the third time - because it's fun and we're friends, but also because we're doing something good."

Let's get going! At the first house on the outskirts of Höf-Präbach, a woman happily opens the door. "Peace and blessings be in this house," the girls begin, before singing: "Star over Bethlehem, show us the way..."

"Peace and blessings in this house", the carol singers begin their "performance".

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

"Many are already waiting"
"Most people are happy and grateful that we are coming," says Alexandra Fuchs, who accompanies the group. She went carol singing herself for many years and has been accompanying groups for two years. "People donate because of us - it's very different to receiving a letter. Many are on vacation right now, but older people in particular are really waiting for the carol singers." 

On average, each carol singer - or rather every carol singer, as two thirds are female - collects 230 euros in donations. In the Styrian diocese of Graz-Seckau, almost 3.4 million euros were collected last year, compared to 19.5 million euros across Austria. This money goes to projects in the poorest regions of the world. In 2025, the focus will be on the Asian country of Nepal: around 500 projects will be supported, including the Opportunity Village Nepal, which supports women and girls who have experienced human trafficking and sexual exploitation. 

"Beautifully sung!" The three carol singers have really earned their praise. They often receive chocolate.

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

The crown is in place: the girls parade around as Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar.

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

Organizer Viktoria Zenz has everything in view.

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

Parish must motivate young people
In Laßnitzhöhe, Viktoria Zenz is tying the cape around a young carol singer. Three groups of different age groups go through the parish on Saturday. "We are usually finished in two days," says the organizer of the Epiphany campaign. "The biggest challenge is finding a replacement if someone drops out. But it's also not always easy to motivate enough children to take part - many are on vacation at the time." But the work is worth it, says the young woman: "You can see how the children enjoy doing something good with their friends."

For Emma, Magdalena and Valentina, as well as the knowledge that they have made a contribution, the memories remain. "When someone makes a promise, we have to laugh, and then singing is hard..." they joke. With a catchy tune and a few bars of chocolate, their tour for this year comes to an end at sunset.