Leg of goose for Berlin's homeless - only without Frank Zander

People - Leg of goose for Berlin's homeless - only without Frank Zander

It's windy and cold outside. Inside, in a hotel in Berlin-Neukölln, it is warm and the smell of goose leg and red cabbage is enticing. Women in Christmas angel costumes hand out chocolate Santa Clauses, Berlin's mayor wears an apron and serves plates of fragrant Christmas food to the guests in the hall under a flurry of flashbulbs.

Only the initiator of the event, Frank Zander, is missing this Friday afternoon at the 29th edition of the Christmas party. The 81-year-old had to stay at home, he was still too weak after almost two weeks in hospital. Evi Zander put her foot down on Thursday evening, as son Marcus Zander said on stage: "Mother said: He stays in bed. Period."

Only Frank Zander is missing from the Christmas party

Invited guests include Viola, Marie and Stephan. There are also children running around. They are all Berliners, just without an apartment. Many of them will probably spend Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and all the other days on the street. This is Stephan Wallerstein's second time at Zander's Fete; 2016 or 2017 was the last time, he says. One memory has stuck with him: "Frank Zander took me in his arms and gave me two Hertha tickets for the stadium. That was awesome," said the 50-year-old.

The Christmas party is smaller than usual this year. In the years before the coronavirus pandemic, around 3,000 needy people were fed and given presents. During the pandemic, the Zanders were out and about with food trucks instead. "There were around 1,800 people there today," said Marcus Zander on the sidelines of the event. The guests keep wanting his attention. "It's nice to know that society can stick together and that we can do something together." In addition to a feast and gifts in kind, there was also several hours of entertainment - from the Blue Man Group and Mitch Keller, for example.

Zander Jr.: "I'm not a politician who promises anything"

Zander Junior says he is sad that his father cannot be there. "But he's very proud of us for continuing to do this. And he'll be back again next time when he's better." Could this festival work without Frank Zander at some point? "I'm not a politician who promises anything. We'll see. But it feels really good right now and I think it's the right thing to do." He wants to do everything he can to ensure that this tradition continues in the future.

The issue of homelessness is serious, and the colorful event cannot hide that fact. 18-year-old Marie has been living on the streets for a year and a half. As a woman, she probably has different experiences to men. "A lot of men want you to prostitute yourself," she said as she stood in the queue for a free haircut. Viola Vogler (65) from Dresden, who wears an elaborate costume, is having a good time during her brief escape from everyday life, but she is also thinking about her apartment, which she could soon lose, as she told the German Press Agency. She is certain: "There is a place for everyone in the world. And there is always a good future for life."

140 volunteers and helpers

Wearing red T-shirts, around 140 volunteers walked around. This included colleagues Daniela Degen and Antje Spuderca, who arrived early in the morning from Uckermark and Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt, despite storm "Zoltan". Spuderca is here for the first time with the motivation to do something good for those in need "and put a smile on their faces".

The Governing Mayor - alongside Left Party politician Gregor Gysi, Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) and Senator for Culture Joe Chialo (CDU), among others - was not just out and about as a waiter. The issue of homelessness touched Wegner. "I think we have to make sure that we get more accommodation, that we get people off the streets and that we offer more social work," said the CDU politician. Homeless people don't just need a place to live - they also need support and a return to a normal life, "because they have become very disconnected from normal life, because they have disappeared, because they have fears, worries and don't want to be seen".

Christmas with Frank Zander