We got our King Cake yesterday….I’ve already secretly embedded the creepy plastic baby and we’ll be having our party in the next day or so.
So what in the world is a King Cake Party, you ask? What’s with the creepy plastic babies? Let me see if I can break it down for you:
Day of the Epiphany falls on January 6th. Christians mark this as the day Jesus was visited by the Three Kings. You cannot, will not, shall NOT make or partake of the King Cake prior to this date. I’m not sure what’ll happen if you do…I’ve never been bold enough to try it. Maybe you’ll get flogged with Mardis Gras beads. Who knows. At any rate, from January 6th until Ash Wednesday, you can party all night long with your King Cake parties. While cakes and parties are the grandest thing ever, there’s actually alot of sacred symbolism behind the cake itself.
Traditionally, the cake is an oval or circle – this representing the unity of all faiths. It’s then slathered in white icing and decorated in traditional Mardis Gras colors: Purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. The plastic baby which is baked inside of the cake represents Jesus.
The person who receives the slice of cake with the plastic baby inside is considered lucky. Lucky AND responsible for bringing the cake to the next party….which could be that night, the next day…whenever. And these parties just keep go-eeng and go-eeng until Lent rolls around and everyone has to swear off sugar and starch.
A very cool tradition indeed. One I intend on keeping up with. If you’re interested in more Mardi Gras/King Cake faqs, Mayor Nagin will do what he can to answer your questions here.
Now go forth and plan your party!
