Today is the traditional Feast of the Epiphany. In most of the world the celebration of the wise men coming to the child Jesus is observed on January 6th. This marks the unofficial end of the Christmas season and in many traditions the day is referred to as "little Christmas". This too used to be the traditional day of gift giving in many cultures.
Being a New Orleanian we too have a pretty amazing tradition centered on the Epiphany. January 6th is celebrated as 12th night. Depending on how you count the days the belief is that January 6th is the 12th and final day of Christmas. For Catholics, we understand that the Church has deemed the end of the Christmas season to be the Sunday when we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. That will be this Sunday.
But let's get back to 12th night and tradition. January 6th not only marks the end of the Christmas season but the official start to Mardi Gras. This French celebration of those carefree days before Lent begins actually runs from January 6th until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
One of the ways we celebrate the arrival of Mardi Gras is with the king cake. This awesome tasting cake is usually decorated in the colors of the Carnival season, purple, green and old and comes plain, iced and filled with a variety of flavors. Baked into the dough and hidden away is a plastic figure of a baby. This baby represents the baby Jesus. Just as the wise men found the baby Jesus in Bethlehem on the Epiphany, one lucky person will find the tiny figurine in the king cake. Tradition further holds that the one who finds the baby is responsible for providing the king cake at the next Mardi Gras event. Pure traditionalist would never eat a slice of the cake before January 6th and certainly never after Mardi Gras day.
So as we in the deep south prepare to usher in another Mardi Gras season may we always be aware that this celebration too carries plenty of rich religious and spiritual significance.
Happy Mardi Gras everyone and get yourself a nice big slice of king cake!!
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