Every year at Epiphany, houses in many parts of Europe mark their doors with chalk.
They inscribe 20 ✝ C ✝ M ✝ B ✝ (Current Year).
Why?
The CMB stands for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar (the Three Wise Men), also as “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” (“May Christ bless this house”).
The chalk is usually blessed chalk, and the marking is meant to protect the home and its inhabitants throughout the year.
The current year would be written as
20 ✝ C ✝ M ✝ B ✝ 26
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