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by Anonymous on February 19th, 2007

Anonymous

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Why do people write 20+c+m+v+07 above their door at home and what does it mean?

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Answers. 2 helpful answers below.

  • by Sian23 on February 20th, 2007

    Sian23

    I think you mean 20+C+M+B+07 (B instead of V)

    That's something some Catholics do on Epiphany.
    Quote from The Epiphany of the Lord:

    The gospel tells us that the magi found Christ “on entering the house.” The door to your home is a holy threshold. You can bless those who come in and go out by inscribing above the door in chalk the first two numbers of the year + C + M + B + the last two numbers of the year. Tradition tells us that the letters stand for the names of the magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Adolph Adam points out that it may also mean “Christus mansionem benedicat” or “May Christ bless this dwelling.” It’s appropriate to bless your door in January -- janua means “door” and the first month is the door to the new year.

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  • by Ankhorite on February 20th, 2007

    Ankhorite

    I had never heard of the custom Sian described in the other answer you have received, so I looked it up and found this additional resource which confirms and expands Sian's answer:
    http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/prayers/view.cfm?id=49

    The site notes that the C M B may be ' "Christus mansionem benedicat" which means "Christ bless this house" '.

    Another theory is that they may be the initials of the three Magi, the kings Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. (Note, however, that in German and some other European languages, Caspar would usually be spelled Kaspar; I don't know what Catholics in nations which use that spelling do).

    Christians do not universally agree on what the names of the Three Magi were; for more on that, see
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi#Names

    This article discusses Epiphany customs in various Christian traditions, and mentions the writing you ask about in the section on "Dating" :
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_%28Christian%29

    LATE UPDATE MARCH 3: I spoke to a friend from Germany. She lived in Bavaria, which is Germany's most Catholic province, and she said this was a common custom there. She also said they spelled Caspar "Kaspar" and used the K instead of the C to make the marks.

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