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Aside from the fact that it is a tradition in many households to take down the Christmas tree on January 6th, it is also the day of Epiphany that effectively crowns and ends Christmas. The Epiphany reminds us of the moment when Christ appears not only to the nation of Israel, but to everyone.
The three kings, more specifically the wise men from the East, are characters from the Gospel of Matthew who came to worship the newborn Jesus, honor him as king and present him with gold, frankincense and myrrh.
However, in the New Testament it is not written that there were three wise men, that they were kings, and their names are not mentioned at all. Since Jesus received three gifts, it was assumed that the wise men also had three and that they later received the names we know today.
Mages, sages and finally kings
Anyone who reads the oldest Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew will learn that the three kings came from the East and were only referred to as wise men in later Bible translations. Western Christian tradition later identified them as kings based on the gifts they brought. The names Gaspar, Melichar and Balthasar, which were attributed to the kings, are said to refer to their Arabic, Babylonian and Persian origins.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the time of King Herod, wise men from the east appeared in Jerusalem and asked, “Where is this newborn King of the Jews?” We saw his star in the east and came to worship him.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew goes on to tell how King Herod, who was very worried about his position, sent the wise men to Bethlehem and asked them to tell him where the baby was. Astrology was a highly recognized science and it was the star that showed the wise men the way to the house where Jesus was with Mary.
Since the wise men did not reveal the birthplace of Jesus to the cruel Herod, Herod had all the boys under the age of two killed, but Joseph, Mary and Jesus were saved by fleeing to Egypt thanks to an instruction in a dream.
The sign on the front door
According to available information, the sign K+M+B, which is usually written on the door with consecrated chalk on January 6, has a different meaning than the first letters of the names of the Magi, and the plus sign is actually not a plus, but a cross.
The symbol K † M † B † or the Latin equivalent C † M † B † represents the blessing formula. The three crosses symbolize the Holy Trinity, i.e. the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In fact, it is an abbreviation of the Latin word “Christus mansionem benedicat,” which means “Christ bless this house.”
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