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!"
(Reposted from last year around this time.)
I love Epiphany too, mostly because the Christmas season ends so abruptly for me(Christmas music and lights one day and then overnight - poof! they stop!) So many of my evangelical friends loose out because they focus on the resurection more...And that statement hits it on the head. The old statement of what came first, the chicken or the egg? is explained so well in that statement! The Incarnation had to come first to even HAVE the Resurrection!
ReplyDeleteI've never experienced Mardi Gras, but it sure sounds like fun!
Ciss, the year before Katrina, Grandpère and I went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We stayed at a hotel downtown on the parade route from Sunday until Ash Wednesday morning. We parked the car and didn't use it until we came home. I'm so glad we went, and one day, I'd like to go again.
ReplyDeleteEpiphany is the real Christmas in Latino New York with parades, carolers, gift-giving and everything.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to use the 12 days of Christmas as a way to reclaim the holiday from the annual economic statistical event it has become.
I have a small collection of feves. They are the little figures also baked in the cakes in Europe. I mostly have the nativity figures and the townsfolk. But I do have several I bought in Paris that are just symbolic: fish, a cross. I keep the nativity up all year.
ReplyDeleteamyj
Counterlight, I saw the video that you posted on the Latino celebration. Anything that would get us away from the shopping, shopping, shopping focus would be a welcome distraction.
ReplyDeleteCiss, I looked up fèves and found this wonderful entry in Wiki en français. Gosh, I may have to do an entire post on the French galettes des rois.
Mimi, I loved the Wikipedia article. It reminds me of my time in Frace. What it doesn't explain, to an english speaker is that the original fève was just that, a dried fava bean. (Not a fancy and you can still break a tooth.)
ReplyDeleteWOW Mimi the New Orleans version is a lot more colourful than le galette des rois here in Quebec, which is stuffed with marzipan.
ReplyDeleteMany of my best memories about la fete des rois, et le galette are of celebrations chez MMe. H. A secular Jew, and straight, she was very well known in both the fashion industry and the gay community, and her Fete des Rois was always a major event with all sorts of interesting and colourful people.
Wildest memory, having found the bean in my piece and being crowned King, only to find my 'Queen' one of the city's most successful drag performers. Champagne in hand, we had to go out on Mme. H's very busy balcony to receive homage from the rest of our crowd who ended up blocking traffic on the very busy Boul. St. Laurent.
Ooh! I lived in Paris for a time as a young girl, and I have fond and rich memories of the galettes des rois (and also of Père Noël, who was tall and thin, and carried a pack on his back that looked like an Adirondack pack basket.
ReplyDeleteYou all have awakened my inner Proust!
Blessings, Laurel
Ueber-G, the first king cakes that I remember a bean stuffed in them, rather than a baby.
ReplyDeleteDavid, what a wonderful story. MMe. H must have been quite a woman.
Laurel, "Proustian!" is what I thought after reading Ueber-G's and David's comments. And then you said it.