How do we celebrate Three Kings Day?

There are many ways to celebrate Epiphany, including blessing your house (see next question and answer), eating King cakes, and having a Twelfth Night party on the eve of Epiphany. It is still appropriate, even encouraged, to sing carols and celebrate the Christmas season on Epiphany. The best way, of course, is to participate in the liturgy, receiving Christ’s gift of Himself in Holy Communion, and offering ourselves to Him in return.

What is the Epiphany Blessing

In years past, priests would often visit their parishioners during the Christmas season to bless their homes. Since this is virtually impossible for most priests today, someone in the family–ideally the father or head of household–sprinkles holy water in each room of the house and says a blessing prayer, such as this one:

Bless, O Lord, almighty God, this home so that in it there may be health, chastity, victorious strength, humility, goodness and mildness, obedience to God's laws and acts of thanks to God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and may this Blessing remain upon this house and upon all who dwell in it. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Normally, the house blessing is coupled with the blessing of the doorway. Some churches will provide parishioners with blessed chalk after the Epiphany Masses. Otherwise, the faithful can bring chalk to their parish, asking the priest to bless it.

With the blessed chalk, the priest or head of the household writes the year and the initials CMB above the door as illustrated for 2024:

20+C+M+B+24

The initials have two meanings. Historically, they refer to the names traditionally attributed to the Magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Spiritually, they refer to the blessing itself, represented by the Latin prayer: “Christus mansionem benedicat” (May Christ bless this house); the crosses recalling our salvation in Christ.

For an eBook that provides the House Blessing, see above.