From Mardi Gras Unmasked.
Pictured above is a king cake or gateau du roi, a tradition associated with the feast of the Epiphany, which is celebrated in south Louisiana, French Canada, and France. At king cake gatherings, whoever gets the tiny baby hidden somewhere in the cake must provide the next king cake. The bakers no longer put the baby in the cake, because they fear litigation from folks who choke on it, swallow it, or break a tooth on it. The buyer assumes the liability of putting the baby in the cake. This is what our litigious society has come to.
I was going to write about the Carnival season in New Orleans, but then I found these lovely words from Rmj at Adventus:
Today begins the season of Epiphany: celebrated by some; ignored by others. The "original Christmas," some say. Maybe; maybe not. It is a season separate from Christmas, but related to it; and in France and Cajun Louisiana, it is celebrated itself with King's Cakes and Gateau du Roi and parties and celebrations, right up to Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, when the shriven season takes over and Lent begins. It's the English who called it Shrove Tuesday, and taught that name even to my all but non-liturgical Presbyterian church of childhood, the day to "shreve" the cupboard of fats and oils in preparation for the fastings of Lent. The French Roman Catholics had the better idea: to celebrate the 5 or 6 Sundays of Epiphany, and carry it out right up to the last possible minute, the first stroke of midnight on Ash Wednesday morning. Jesus, tradition says, was born at midnight on Christmas Day. We don't know, so why not sanctify the whole day? So, also, Ash Wednesday begins at midnight, but until then: celebration!
And him a Texan! Besting me at my own game! It's humiliating. But I figured why strain to write something original when I can steal this. No Shrove Tuesday for us. It's Mardi Gras, the party of all parties. And then, but only then, we get serious about Lent.
I love the church seasons, and I like having the season of Epiphany as a prolonged celebration of the Incarnation - of Emmanuel, God with us. Although, as children, we were taught that the greatest feast day was Easter, (a hard sell to the kids) I thought then, and I think now that the Incarnation is the great event. God become one of us! As someone once told me, "Without the Incarnation, there would be no Resurrection!"
"Without the Incarnation there would be no resurrection"
ReplyDeleteHow true! Me and some other folks at the GCN (Gaychristian.net) conference were explaining to some 20-something evangelicals how the story of redemption through Christ begins with the Incarnation and not Easter ...
As the Creeds say, "for us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven ... " Death and resurrection come later.
I think it is harder for us in the frozen north to party in Epiphany - we just get cabin fever and shoot each other. We are tired of being cooped up together but it is too cold and too dark to go out into the world.
ReplyDeleteRB, I believe it was Tobias who made that statement to me in person, when I met him, so I have no record except my memory - which can be quite fallible. More than the Resurrection, the Incarnation seems more astonishing to me every day that passes.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the reminder about the words in the Creed. We repeat them and repeat them, but often in a rote manner, failing to take in fully what the words mean.
Ah, Ann, I know. Well, I don't really know, but I have heard. You should have a king cake one Sunday for your after services coffee time. That will make it all better. ;o)
Had a King'Cake one year, from the place in New Orleans famous for them. It spoiled me for the ones that come from the grocery store bakeries around here (gummy and sweet enough to induce glycemic shock). But I saw some in boxes last night, with huge warning labels about the "choking hazard," etc. And noticed on every one the "baby" stuck in the cake, protruding from the waist up.
ReplyDeleteDidn't realize it was that universal, but it makes sense. You're gonna introduce people to an old tradition via mass consumption, you gotta make accomadations.
Think I'll try my hand at a King Cake from my own oven this year....
(P.S. glad you liked my words. Nice to see them put to better use....)
King cake! The only time I ever tasted some was at Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World in Algiers. (An intrepid tourist, I was.) It was goooood.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. I think part of the appeal of Christianity (for me) is the way the story rolls along with the seasons. I'm always going to be a bit of a pagan, I'm afraid. Anyway, thanks for the wider perspective. I needed that --and you know why. ;\ (a wink and a frown.)
Robert, you should definitely try your hand at baking a king cake. You can find recipes online. There are king cakes and king cakes, and some of them are really bad.
ReplyDeleteWell, pagan PJ, I love you anyway. You made it through the formal Evensong at the seminary in New York, so now you can make it through any Episcopal Church service.
The seasons! The seasons! I love the seasons! Epiphany gives us light through the dark, cold days of winter. However, in my patch, where it's not all that dark and cold, it's easier to hold on to the idea of a season of light.
Well, I believe I'm going to St. Bart's -- my local church -- for real this Sunday. There's going to be a special guest-priest talking about Iraq after the 10:00 service. I figured this would be an interesting week to visit.
ReplyDeleteMimi, mwah! I first "met" all of you right around this time last year. It wasn't the longest, darkest winter of my soul -- but it was pretty close to it. Finding this community has been a real blessing. Even MP. :)
PJ, I have been to St. Bart's. I think you will like it. Our community has been a great blessing to me, too.
ReplyDeleteI've only heard of King Cake and never have seen one before. Thanks for further educating me!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful King Cake!
ReplyDeleteI tried to make one a couple of years ago for a Mardi Gras party, but it turned out to have the texture of a hockey puck. And the baby melted!
Jan, the good ones are very good.
ReplyDeleteJudith, LOL on your baking attempt. Hockey puck? I don't think I've had that texture. It's best to put the baby in after baking, it being plastic and all.
Robert up there is an experienced baker, and I'll bet his would be delicious.
I dunno, Ann. I've had an annual Mardi Gras crepes party on the night before Ash Wednesday since my divinity school days (a custom I picked up from France where we make crepes on mardi gras -- fat Tuesday, aka Shrove Tuesday -- and actually in France they make crepes on Candlemas too!) and people went through Boston snowstorms for it, and also whatever weather we were having in Wisconsin when I was living there for a few years. In fact, though I got a good crowd at the California party and am starting to build a tradition here in North Carolina, Boston may hold the record for most people. Maybe we just needed to huddle together and eat and drink and make merry. Or maybe I just knew a lot of people from having lived there so long. Just sayin' that Puritans do know how to party.
ReplyDeleteMimi, PJ means St. Bart's in White Plains, I think, as opposed to St. Bart's in NYC. But both cool each in its own way.
I've never had King Cake. But galette des rois is yummy. When I was little I liked the plain one that was flatter and just puff pastry, not the one stuffed with marzipan. I haven't had any of either in years.
PJ, I see the guy coming to St. Bart's is none other than Gary Dorrien, a very famous academic who also happens to be a priest. PeaceBang gave him a thumbs up last year on Beauty Tips for Ministers for being the best-dressed public speaker she'd heard and seen in a long time. Very snazzy. It's nice you'll get to experience him as a priest, and probably nice for him too since a lot of people out in university or even seminary land (he does lots of gigs at non-Episcopal places including seminaries and divinity schools and universities and lecture series) don't know he's an Episcopalian. Let us know what you think. Oh, maybe I should write all this over at your place but it looks like we're all visiting each other today...
Right, PJ, you don't live in the city. I'm sure the other St. Bart's is nice, too.
ReplyDeleteJane, I've seen pictures of the galettes des rois, but I've never had a taste. From the looks of them, they could be better than king cakes.
I invite you all to make yourselves at home here.
Mimi, La Rosca de Reyes (King Cake) is a tradition in Spain and Latin America as well (and also in Texas). It is eaten on Día de los Reyes Magos.
ReplyDeleteIt comes from the same French tradition. Look here.
Mike, thanks for the information. I did not know that. I see that in their custom, they have a king and a baby ("2 sanitized plastic dolls") inside the package, but the buyer has to insert them. They don't want to be sued either.
ReplyDeleteAnd him a Texan!
ReplyDeleteAhem! Excuuuuuse me ?! ;->
Wish we could get real Nawlins King Cake around here...
David, you can order them to be shipped from Haydel's or Randazzo's with hefty shipping costs.
ReplyDeleteI should have done an irony alert. There are excellent people in Texas, including you, and Robert, and Mike in Texas, and Lindy, and excellent dogs, too, like Rowan.
I have an old friend who goes back to my college days, who now lives in Houston.