A king cake is a type of cake associated with the festival of Epiphany in France, it is associated instead with Mardi Gras season traditions.
The cakes have a small trinket (often a small plastic baby, sometimes said to represent Baby Jesus) inside, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations (such as buying the cake for the next celebration).
Epiphany falls between 2 January and 8 January. Since the Julian Calendar, which is followed by some Eastern Churches, is at present 13 days behind the Gregorian Calendar and the revised Julian Calendar, 6 January in that calendar corresponds at present to 19 January in what is the official civil calendar in most countries.
The history of a Mardi Gras celebration existed many years before Europeans came to the New World. Some time in the Second Century, during mid-February (usually February 15 according to the Julian calendar), Ancient Romans would observe what they called the Lupercalia, a circus-type festival which was, in many respects, quite similar to the present day Mardi Gras. This festival honored the Roman deity, Lupercus, a pastoral God associated with Faunus or the Satyr. Although Lupercus is derived from the Latin Lupus (meaning "wolf"), the original meaning of the word as it applies to Roman religion has become obscured over the passage of time.
In France, the festival is also a sign of liberation of the poor peasants from the rich aristocrats. It was during the reign of Marie Antoinette and her king husband who made sure that the peasants don’t have food. Marie was known to wear clothes of high quality fabric while the majority of the citizens were languishing in poverty. During one riot incident, the poor had stood in front of the palace asking for food; when Marie inquired what they wanted, she was told that they were starving. In response, she said, if the poor can not afford to buy bread then let them buy cake. Her rule was short-lived thereafter and she was guillotined.
Today, the landed gentry would also ride through the countryside rewarding peasants with cakes (thought by some to be the origin of the King Cake), coins (perhaps the origin of present day gifts of Mardi Gras doubloons) and other trinkets. In Germany, there still remains a Carnival similar to that of the one held in New Orleans. Known as Fasching, the celebrations begin on Twelfth Night and continue until the next Tuesday. this festivity is still celebrated in France and Spain.
The French are known to have many festivals which are extravagantly and richly celebrated. Maybe one may want a holiday in France for Christmas and wait a few more days to witness this grand fete that is held on literally every street in France.
Maasia Mara Safaris
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