Happy Mardi Gras! I grew up calling it Shrove Tuesday, but others call it Pancake Tuesday and Fat Tuesday (which is what Mardi Gras means in French). While the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations stateside happen in New Orleans, all around the world today people are feasting, dancing, attending parades and costume balls, and generally enjoying a last hurrah before Lent begins.
A thoughtful friend from New Orleans sent us an authentic King Cake this year. I had no idea what to expect; this one is a round, braided coffeecake, and it arrived with some Mardi Gras beads, a couple of toy coins, icing in a separate bag, and decorating sugars in the official Mardi Gras colors — gold (for power), green (for faith), and purple (for justice). So festive!
The tradition of the king cake goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, when popular devotion developed around the Three Wise Men (or Kings) who followed the star to find the newborn Jesus. Celebrated 12 days after Christmas, Epiphany (or “Twelfth Night”) was marked by pageants and special “king” gifts for the children.
King cake is typically eaten between Epiphany and Fat Tuesday. What makes the cake extra fun is the tiny plastic baby hidden inside (sometimes it’s a coin): The person who gets the slice of cake with the baby is supposed to host the party next year, or gets crowned king or queen of the day. We’re going with the latter — and I’ve got a crown all ready to go!
We were hoping to share our colorful cake with the children in S and H’s class at our homeschool coop today, after decorating masks (and maybe marching around the room to a rendition of “When the Saints Going Marching In”), but it’s cancelled due to more snow here, so looks like we’ve got lots of indulging to do.
Are you celebrating Mardi Gras today? Have you ever tried a king cake? (And if you’ll be indulging today, don’t forget to check out Mags’ Mardi Gras recipe roundup from last year for some delicious suggestions…)
Images: Zoe Saint-Paul