Marking the Epiphany

As many readers know, I often like to bring a little Central Europe back home, whether it be in the form of cooking, culture or viticulture. Call it incurable Fernweh or just a chronic sense of mistaken identity, but either way it's nice to be reminded of all those times I've spent in Austria and the other former Kakania states. Today, on the Feast of the Epiphany, I've marked the front door of our house, like many homes and churches in Mitteleuropa, with the numbers and letters 20*C+M+B*14.

According to a now defunct blog by a London-based Catholic priest, C+M+B not only stands for the names of the three kings who are reported to have visited the Christ Child in Bethlehem, but also 'Christus Mansionem Benedicat' or 'May Christ bless this dwelling'. I hadn't realised, however, that I should have had the chalk blessed by a priest before inscribing these traditional markings on the door. Customarily, a beneficent clergyman blesses the chalk, normally at the feast day's principal Mass, using a traditional prayer from the Rituale:

O Lord God, bless this chalk that it may be used for the salvation of the human race. Through the invocation of Thy most Holy Name grant that whoever shall take of this chalk and write with it upon the doors of his house the names of Thy saints, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, may through their merits and intercession receive health of body and protection of soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additionally, homes themselves are often blessed at this time of year. I haven't invited a priest to perform this act, though I feel that our home has been very lucky this festive season and, hopefully, with this little 'shadow city' reminder of my favourite part of the world, it will continue to be throughout 2014.

Tweet