Tuesday 12 January 2021

Tuesday 12th January 2021: A suggestion from Celia

 Celia Palmer writes:

I wonder if you have seen or heard about the ‘Door Chalkings’ on houses across the country.   It has been ‘unlocked’ not as a code but is in a way ‘holy graffiti’ which is believed to originate from central Europe in the Middle Ages.

It was seen as a message of hope to chalk the initials of the 3 wise men and the numerals’ of the old and new age, see below:

 

20 + C + M + B + 21

 

Rev Arwen Folkes, the rector of St Peter in East Blatchington, Seaford, began it last year and spoke of how encouraging it was to see on it 50 houses in her parish and this year she prepared bags with mini-chalks for people to use on their own doorways as well as on the Church.

 

At Epiphany it has been the custom to ask God’s blessing on homes and mark the doorway in this way and this was seen in the Czech Republic a decade or so ago according to Fr Fergus Butler-Gallie of Holy Trinity, Sloane Square and according to him now it is everywhere.  People would pray as they chalked the message.

 


I pray and trust that your homes will be blessed this Epiphany

No comments:

Post a Comment

Holding the Pole

  Yesterday we entered a new month as May dawned.   Traditionally one of those days we think of as marking a transition as we slowly make ou...