Every year, Catholics gather outside the front doors of their home, chalk in hand. Perhaps you’ve seen the chalking above a church door, or above the front door to a friends home. But just what does the chalking mean? What do the letters and numbers symbolize? Read on to discover the tradition of chalking, celebrated on the Feast of the Epiphany. It offers a beautiful opportunity to bless your home for the upcoming year.

What is the Epiphany home blessing?

The feast day of Epiphany (which you may hear referred to as the Twelfth Night, or Three Kings Day) celebrates the coming of the three kings, who visited Christ from the East. The feast also is a time for a Catholic tradition, the chalking of the doors.  The phrase that is chalked above the door this year is 20 + C+ M + B + 18.

The letters ‘C’, ‘M’, and ‘B’ have two meanings. In honor of the magi, they represent the initials of the three kings: Caspar, Malchior, and Balthazar. These three kings visited the Christ child in His first home in Nazareth.

But the words also abbreviate a Latin saying: Christus mansionem benedicat. Translated, this means: “May Christ bless the house.”