For many people around the globe, today was a day of celebration and feasting.  While the day may go by many names, 12th Night, the Epiphany or Feast of the Three Kings, in Polish it's called Swieto Trzech Kroli (pronounced: “SHFYEN-taw TCHEKH KROO-lee”).  To my knowledge, my grandparents were the last generation in my family to celebrate this holiday in the "tradition" of the old country. 

Since this is a food blog, I thought I'd be writing about the "King's Cake", its paper crown and the traditions dealing with who gets to wear the crown and what that privilege means.  But the more I thought about it, I realized that for once my strongest memories had nothing to do with food.

As a little girl, I used to wonder why the chalk marks over the doorways made by the parish priest were left undisturbed.  All the grandchildren knew that writing on the walls was strictly forbidden!  The inscription "K+M+B" symbolized the Three Kings, Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, and was written above the door as a blessing upon the house.  The inscription was left there all year long.  As I look back on that tradition, I think the inscription served as more than "just a blessing":  those markings were a public display of our faith and a visual reminder to be true to the teaching of our faith;  a reminder  to a keep Christmas in our hearts all the year long.

I wonder, does anyone still mark their doors like that anymore?