kids encyclopedia robot

Chalking the door facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the Christian religious practice. For the Scottish legal practice, see Chalking the door (eviction).
Epiphany Season door chalking
Epiphany season door chalking on an apartment door in the Midwestern US
Christmas wreath
A Christmas wreath adorning a home, with the top left-hand corner of the front door chalked for Epiphanytide and the wreath hanger bearing a placard of the archangel Gabriel

Chalking the door is one of the Christian Epiphanytide traditions used to bless one's home.

Epiphany

Either on Twelfth Night (5 January), the twelfth day of Christmastide and eve of the feast of the Epiphany, or on Epiphany Day (6 January) itself, many Christians (including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics, among others) write on their doors or lintels with chalk in a pattern such as "20 ✝ C ✝ M ✝ B ✝ 24". The numbers in this example refer to the calendar year 2024 and the crosses to Christ. The letters C, M, and B stand for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar), or alternatively for the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat ('May Christ bless this house'). Another form, for Three Kings day, is to mark the door with "IIIK" (the Roman numeral three followed by "K" for "Kings").

Chalking the door is done most commonly on Epiphany Day itself. However, it can be done on any day of the Epiphany season. In some localities, the chalk used to write the Epiphanytide pattern is blessed by a Christian priest or minister on Epiphany Day, then taken home to write the pattern.

The Christian custom of chalking the door has a biblical precedent as the Israelites in the Old Testament marked their doors in order to be saved from death; likewise, the Epiphanytide practice serves to protect Christian homes from evil spirits until the next Epiphany Day, at which time the custom is repeated. Families also perform this act to represent the hospitality of the Holy Family to the Magi (and all Gentiles); it thus serves as a house blessing to invite the presence of God in one's home.

In 20th century Poland, the practice of chalking the door continued among believers as a way of asserting their Christian identity, despite the Eastern Bloc's state atheism and antireligious campaigns.

Gallery: Epiphany season door chalking

  • C+M+B 2009 an der Tür der Villa Reepschlägerbahn 30, Bild 001

    Epiphany season door chalking at the Villa Reepschlägerbahn in Germany

  • "Christ Bless This House" Chalk Marking on the West Face of the Church of St Michael, Welling

    Epiphany door chalking at the Anglican Church of St Michael in Welling, London

  • Sexten Schmiedenstraße 20 008 2019 09 26

    Epiphany door chalking in Sexten, Italy

  • Bonifatiuskirche HD Eingang Februar 2012

    Epiphany door chalking in Heidelberg, Germany

  • 001 2013 09 15 Eingaenge und Tueren

    Epiphany door chalking in Mittelberg, Austria

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Chalking the door Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.