K+M+B-2012 - formula on flats in Poland

KMB is Kacper, Melchior and Balthazar. This is always written on the door by the priest walking around the carol. In addition, they also write the year in which the carol was performed. Some people leave these inscriptions for longer.

Interestingly, last year my neighbour for C + M + B for a change.

I'd not noticed that version.

That's actually the 'correct' inscription. The letters are the initial letters of the phrase 'Christus mansionem benedicat' 'Christ blesses this house/May Christ bless this house.


That's the folk custom which grew out of a misconception of what the letters represented.

So you could say that C+M+B belongs to the church and K+M+B belongs to the people :)