The Sternsinger are 3 people dressed as the Holy Kings (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) who collect money for charities between 27 December and 6 January. This custom can be traced back to the 16th century. Until the 20th century mostly poor children and young people knocked on the doors and asked for food for themselves. Since the mid-20th century the Sternsinger in Germany and Austria are organized in a charity that collects money for international projects. After the 2004 Tsunami that hit Thailand on 26 December, a record sum of 47 Mio EUR was collected in Germany.
The custom is catholic and a bit different in each region. The Sternsinger are being sent from their congregation - sometimes after a prior special church service - and they go from house to house to collect money. To those who open the doors they sing carols, say a prayer and sometimes also recite a poem. Afterward they write the initials of the three kings' names above the main door of the home to confer blessings on the occupants for the New Year.
This is from 2008. The star indicates the star of Bethlehem and the crosses are for the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The spelling differs a bit from region to region. You may also find for example:
Here the write it on the wall of the Bundeskanzleramt:
This is the official website of the Sternsinger (also available in English): http://www.sternsinger.org/
Hopfefully the video from Angela Merkel and the Sternsinger on Jan 2011 is still available here:
http://www.sternsinger.org/index.php?id=1418
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