Christmas singing in the stadium
German musicians, churches and social initiatives invite into soccer stadiums
The meanwhile world-famous Christmas choir of the German second-league soccer club 1. FC Union Berlin every year attracts several ten thousands of people to the Christmas singing in the local stadium "Alte Försterei". Without any floodlight and fan chants, but prepared with candles and a lot of thoughtfulness and charity they perform together Christmas classics such as "Silent Night, Holy Night", "O du Fröhliche" or "Snow falls softly at night”.
The extraordinary tradition of the soccer club based in the East of Berlin can be traced back to a small Union Fanclub in Berlin. After a moderately successful first round in 2003 they sought new power for the upcoming soccer season. On Christmas Eve in 2003 the fan club gathered in the middle of the stadium, prepared with Christmas carols, and started singing.
Since then every year on the evening of December 23 the Berlin pastor Peter Müller is reading the Christmas story before the Youth Choir of the Köpenicker Emmy-Noether-Gymnasium strikes up the Christmas concert together with ten thousand fans. In addition to international guests in 2015 numerous Syrian and Iraqi refugees as well as the supporters of the rival Berlin soccer club Hertha BSC were invited and cordially welcomed.
Numerous churches and social initiatives appreciate the dialogue and peaceful coexistence and increasingly take part in the Christmas choirs performing in the soccer stadiums of the first, second and third national league all over Germany. Under the motto "We will jointly set a sign for a peaceful city" the Kreuzchor Dresden invites to the stadium of the traditional club Dynamo Dresden on December 22 for the first time.
In the stadium of the club MSV Duisburg the Christmas caroling, held for the second time, was characterized by the inclusion this year: "People with and without disabilities sing together" was the motto.
The result of the Christmas choir of Union Berlin was bridges built between nations and cultures through music. On December 12 a German-Polish Christmas singing will take place for the first time in Frankfurt (Oder). A Singing Together at the Frankfurter town square with German and Polish Christmas songs aims to strengthen the friendship and affinity of both border cities.
© Daniel Ginter, Ladenzeile.de
