Am sechsten Januar

Hallo!

Haben Sie gemerkt dass die deutsche Wörter Heute in Grün sind? I thought it might make it more interesting. Na gut, I admit it, ich habe die Farbe geändert because even though it’s only January, I am already yearning for the colors of Frühling.

Ach ja! Speaking of January… that time of year when all those holiday decorations are being packed away, stashed away to forgotten corners somewhere around the house. You must be thinking, “the holidays are over, Gott sei Dank” My thoughts exactly! Actually, in Germany and other parts of Europe, the celebration of Christmas does not end until the twelfth day after Christmas — January 6th. So yes, there is one more holiday custom I want to tell you about — keine Angst! This one does not require decorations. All you need is… a piece of chalk.

Am sechsten Januar (Gestern), it is a catholic custom to celebrate die Heilige drei Könige, or as we call it — Epiphany. It used to be the celebration of Christ’s birth, that is, until the Roman church changed the date to December 25 — Christmas.

“Warum brauche ich einen stück Kreide?” Fragen Sie. If you lived in Germany, you would need the chalk to make an inscription above your front door. “Why?” Well, because it is believed that the inscription C+M+B+ (the year) will protect your home. Sehr interessant, aber was hat dass mit den Heilige Drei Könige zu tun?

Traditionally, on the eve of the Heilige drei Könige, people prayed and burned blessed dried herbs to fill the house with the scent. All doorways were sprinkled with holy water. Someone, usually the master of the house, would then write the initials C+M+B and the year above the front door and say,“Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar, behütet uns auch für dieses Jahr, vor Feuer und vor Wasser.”

Aber Achtung! Even though you might think the letters represent the initials of the three wise men; it is not so! Historically, the three letters come from the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedictact,” which stands for “Christ bless this home.” It is believed that many people, who still practice this custom today, are not aware of this fact. Did you know? Ich wusste dass auf jeden Fall nicht. I have seen these inscriptions on older homes, especially old farmhouses, but when I asked my friends about them, they didn’t know what they meant either!

Ich wünsche Ihnen einen angenehmen Tag.

Tschüss,
Natalie