They are all over the place on 6 January, and you can look up details on this Wikipedia page (German). The tradition is alive in many countries, execution varies. For instance, in England, they go to pubs, not private houses. And if you Americans think this can explain some of the underage drinking problem in the UK, you are mistaken.
The neighborhood sweep starts like this.
The doorbell will ring, we'll grab a couple of euros and open the front door.
Three children dressed as the kings will perform a short song, then scribble the first letters of their names and, in roman numerals, the date. A chaperone watches from the bottom of the stairs. The song over, one of them will hold up a collection basket, you drop the euros.
One of our more creative household members suggested we try to give them the same presents the wise men gave Jesus. We have frankincense and myrrh, and a gold colored Susan B. Anthony dollar coin was to replace the actual gold. The idea was scrapped, the reason is a few paragraphs below.
As always, we are not so much interested in the tradition as such but in the changes over time:
There are girls among them now, which is a big deal for catholics.
They are equipped with gaffer's tape, so they don't have to put the tag on your door. The job used to be performed by older teens or adults who could reach the top of the door. The kids cannot, hence the tape. You can remove the tag when the holiday spirit runs out.
They communicate in a very clear, silent fashion what they think about your amount of charitable giving. If you give just one euro, they display at least two euros worth of frown on their young faces.
They do this once a year but they beat any charity pros. They hit each and every household with remarkable precision.
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