Polish people take small boxes containing chalk, water, incense, in memory of the gifts of the Magi, to church to be blessed. Once at home, they inscribe "K+M+B+" and the year with the blessed chalk above every door in the house, according to tradition, to provide protection against illness and misfortune for those within.
The letters, with a cross after each one stand for the traditionally applied names of the Three Kings in Polish - Kacper, Melchior and Baltazar. They remain above the doors all year until they are dusted off or replaced by new markings the next year. Epiphany in Poland also signals the beginning of the carnival time.
In some cities there are street parades organised to welcome the Wise Men, who often ride on camels. The Wise Men pass out sweets, carols are sung, and living nativity scenes are enacted,
In 2011, by an act of Parliament, Epiphany was restored as an official non-working national public holiday in Poland for the first time since it was cancelled under communism fifty years before.
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