Chalking The Door

Why do catholics have the symbols 20 c m b year written in chalk on or above their doors.

Chalking the door.

Chalk of any kind or color. What do the numbers and letters mean. It is always performed on epiphany sometimes called twelfth night which is january 6th. Chalking the door is one of the christian epiphanytide traditions used in order to bless one s home as well as a scottish custom of landlord and tenant law.

20 year the year of the blessing. Chalking the door is a tangible way to honor god in our lives. The first and last numbers simply refer to the current year. What is a chalking the door service.

Caspar melchior and balthazar. It is however an easy tradition to adopt and a great practice whereby we dedicate our year to god from its very outset asking his blessing on our homes and on all who live work or visit them there. The chalking of the doors is a centuries old practice throughout the world though it appears to be somewhat less well known in the united states. Chalking the door by inscribing letters and crosses above the doorway of the home is a tradition that comes to us from europe.

Here is what they mean. The symbols come from a catholic blessing of the home connected to the feast of the epiphany. The meaning of 20 c m b year. This short liturgy is a way of marking our homes usually at the front or main entrance with sacred signs and symbols as we ask god s blessing upon those who live work or visit throughout the coming year.

The letters c m b come from the traditional names for the three kings. In exodus the israelites marked their doors with blood so that the lord would pass over their homes.